My love index is at its maximum.

"Aren't they all Kiki?"

"..." Tsukasa Tazaki ate the shrimp in silence; it tasted pretty good.

Kuriyama Sakura smiled gracefully, picked up some rice with her chopsticks, and elegantly put it into her mouth. A breeze blew from the sea, brushed past her earlobe, and then disappeared into the cabin.

After chewing it a few times, she felt that this bowl of rice tasted much better than usual.

Yui Kikawa stirred the cola in her glass, taking occasional sips, while casually observing Shiori Ninomiya's expression and movements.

Sometimes she twirls the ends of her hair with her hand, sometimes she slightly curls the corners of her mouth, her nose twitches occasionally, her nimble gestures when peeling shrimp, and the undisguised gleam in her eyes when handing food to Tsukasa Tazaki—these subtle movements are particularly lively in this Hokkaido girl, giving her a vibrant feeling like tender buds in spring.

Compared to herself, whose even a forced smile was endearing, she was indeed more likable.

The blonde girl thought to herself with mixed feelings, and the food in her mouth tasted bland and tasteless.

After dinner.

Shiori Ninomiya clasped her hands together, smiled, and bowed towards the lower deck of the ship: "Thank you for your hospitality, Uncle Nakano. I'm already full."

Tsukasa Tazaki pointed to the corner of her mouth.

"Huh?!"

The little cutie wiped the corner of her mouth; it was a grain of rice.

"Oh...how rude of me."

She blushed instantly, blinked, and asked Tsukasa Tazaki, "Kiki won't laugh at me, will she?"

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

Please, you know you're cute, can you tone down your charm a little on ordinary days?

As one person cleared the dishes and emerged from the lower deck, three beautiful girls ran up to the deck with mats and pillows to cool off. They also took chilled drinks and fruit, and even the guitar.

The atmosphere was lovely; the fishing boats drifted slowly on the sea at an almost stationary speed, and the night breeze seemed to slow down as well.

“The Milky Way…” Shiori Ninomiya murmured to herself as she gazed at the sky, “How beautiful it is.”

Tsukasa Tazaki lay down beside them, gazing at the sky.

Without the moon, one can see countless stars twinkling. Rather than being embedded in the distant sky according to rigid cosmic laws, Tsukasa Tazaki prefers to imagine these twinkling stars as scenery flowing from under the skirts of goddesses.

"Kiki, look over there."

Shiori Ninomiya pointed north and said, "Across this strait is Hokkaido. If you walk north along the coast, you'll reach my house. It's a small town where all you can see are mountains and the sea. In winter, the whole world is covered in white, which is especially beautiful."

“She must be very beautiful,” Tsukasa Tazaki said, gazing northwards. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to raise such a lovely Ninomiya-san.”

"Haha~ It's not just pretty."

The little cutie turned around, staring at his handsome profile, and said, "There are so many fun things. Take the crops we grow, for example. There are tomatoes, mini watermelons, scallions, white radishes, and so many more that I can't even count them all. I really enjoy watching all the fruits and vegetables grow little by little in the greenhouse every day. It's so delightful. Kiki, have you ever grown a watermelon? The way watermelons grow is so amazing, it's just like a little animal that grows up slowly."

Tazaki Tsukasa gazed at the sea reflecting the starlight, listening to her recount her interesting experiences in the tone of someone sharing something wonderful with a friend.

The sea breeze that gently sways the ends of your hair evokes images of the sweet, moist air of summer.

The surroundings gradually quieted down, and only the gentle sound of the waves could be heard.

Tazaki Tsukasa turned his head in confusion and looked at Ninomiya Shiori with a nervous expression. Next to him, Kuriyama Sakura was holding a guitar with a helpless expression that said, "This girl is beyond saving."

"Why did you stop talking?"

The little cutie rubbed her fingers together: "If you don't say anything... I won't dare to say anything."

"Uh, why?"

"Once I start talking about family matters, I can't stop. Don't you think I'm long-winded and annoying?"

“No.” Tsukasa Tazaki smiled. “On the contrary, I found what you said quite interesting.”

"real."

“I’m not lying to you,” Tsukasa Tazaki said earnestly. “I love listening to your stories about things that happen in faraway places. It feels like a bear storing up energy before hibernation.”

"A bear before hibernation..."

The little cutie imagined the scene, and a warm smile slowly crept onto her lips: "I really like this metaphor."

[I love it, I really love it! Shiori Ninomiya stock index rose 20 points, current stock price: 190]

Tsukasa Tazaki stared at her, mesmerized.

At this moment, the Hokkaido girl's expression and eyes had degenerated from a lively deer in the spring forest to a silly spore stuck in the snow in winter.

The undulating sea surface shimmered as if all the starlight in the sky had been shattered, and small fishing boats floated quietly on the glowing water.

We can't let them continue like this...

Kuriyama Sakura, biting her little fangs, interrupted their deep gaze: "Shiori, what's the name of the town you live in?"

"Hamanaka-cho," the little cutie replied without turning her head.

Kuriyama Sakura thought for a moment and said in surprise, "We're almost at the Northern Islands, it's really far."

Tazaki Tsukasa checked Google Maps and realized it really was far away, almost across the sea from the four Northern Territories occupied by Russia. Putting away his phone, he looked at Kuriyama Sakura with amazement: "You know where such a remote place is, that's amazing."

"If you were stuck in one place for seven years, you would know that too."

Kuriyama Sakura said meaningfully, squinting at him, "When you're bored, you look at maps and think about where you can escape to without being discovered."

“I can understand,” Tsukasa Tazaki said.

"Do you really understand?" Kuriyama Sakura asked, looking at him suspiciously.

“I really understand.” Tsukasa Tazaki nodded and said, “Camus described prison life in ‘The Stranger’: the days passed very long, but dragged on. Day after day, year after year, everything about time lost its meaning except for words like ‘yesterday’ and ‘tomorrow’.”

“Oh…that’s true.” Kuriyama Sakura tilted her head and said, “I used to feel like I was trapped in a small world, and the days passed like an elastic band, sometimes short and sometimes long, sometimes many months would pass in a flash.”

Tsukasa Tazaki continued, "Time is like the rapidly depreciating Zimbabwean dollar; it has a large face value but is worthless."

Kuriyama Sakura stared at him, her hair blowing in the sea breeze, a few strands playfully landing on her lips.

Lost in thought for a few seconds, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled gently: "That's a brilliant metaphor."

"I already said that Kiki's way of speaking is very interesting."

As a staunch Kiki supporter, the little cutie's eyes were already sparkling: "From the first time I spoke to him, I knew he was the most interesting person in the world."

It perfectly captures the expression of a fangirl meeting her idol.

“Shiori…” Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her forehead in exasperation. “This guy may be interesting, but he’s essentially a terrible scumbag. Don’t be fooled by his funny side. If you put him in Kawabata Yasunari’s Snow Country, he’d be like Shimamura, that heartless man.”

"I can't worry about that now. The luckiest thing that happened to me in Tokyo was meeting Kiki!"

Shiori Ninomiya happily lay down on the mat, and looking up, she saw a dazzling Milky Way like a torrential downpour. Some of the stars were unusually large, looking so lifelike that they seemed within reach, so beautiful that it took her breath away.

Feel……

It seems like someone is missing?

The little cutie glanced at the blonde girl sitting kneeling in the corner, staring blankly at Tsukasa Tazaki.

A chilling loneliness.

Poor thing... Shiori Ninomiya thought to herself, Kikawa-san must be very unhappy.

Tazaki Tsukasa picked up the frozen juice next to him, took a small sip, and looked up at the star-studded Milky Way in the southeast. Kuriyama Sakura gently strummed her guitar twice, playing an old, worn-out tune by the Beach Boys.

Following the captivating melody, Tsukasa Tazaki began to sing a few lines.

East Coast girls are so charming, even fashion smiles upon them.

Southern girls are often reserved; their walking and talking are somewhat disjointed.

If all outstanding young women were from California...

A gentle evening breeze, the salty sea breeze, a dazzling starry sky, chilled drinks, and sweet fruit, all accompanied by an American folk song hummed by a boy who is older than his parents...

Amidst the crashing waves, Kikawa Yui bent her knees, letting the sea breeze fill her clothes and caress her collarbone.

His gaze remained fixed on Tsukasa Tazaki's profile.

Like a sea reflecting a galaxy, an incredible, shimmering quality emanated from him. His focused singing, the glimmer in his eyes, the natural movement of his lips—all were breathtakingly perfect.

Even in the simplest sweatshirt, he looks incredibly elegant and striking, exuding a unique and unconventional charm.

Yui Kikawa subconsciously licked her lower lip.

The emotion she had suppressed surged forth from the depths of her mind once more, eagerly and quietly filling her entire being, with remarkable subtlety and speed.

After finishing playing "California Girl," Kuriyama Sakura, holding her guitar, stared at the blonde girl with a sympathetic look: "Kikawa-san, wipe your drool."

"Eh?"

Qichuan Yui hurriedly wiped her mouth, but there was nothing there.

"You!" The blonde girl raised her head, her clear blue eyes blazing with anger: "Kuriyama-san, please don't joke around like that."

The little cutie shrank back: "Don't fight."

Tsukasa Tazaki clapped his hands: "Let's fight! I love watching beautiful girls fight."

The three beautiful girls turned around and glared at him at the same time.

"Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

(Moon Prism Power Transformation)

Tsukasa Tazaki bravely shouted Sailor Moon's transformation line, flipped over, and left only his trembling back view.

Ok.

There is no moon tonight, so I cannot represent the moon to destroy them.

Kuriyama Sakura chuckled and began playing the Sailor Moon theme song, "Moonlight Legend," on her guitar.

I can sing this song!

The little cutie cleared her throat and began to sing along to the cheerful melody.

Counting the twinkling stars

The result of a love divination

We were born in the same country

This is an incredible romance.