My love index is at its maximum.

"explain."

"Given your increasingly violent tendencies lately, and for your personal safety, I plan to take a two-and-a-half-year leave of absence. I will return to the activity room in the last semester of my third year to apply for withdrawal from the club. Is that alright with you?"

Kuriyama Sakura gave a condescending sneer: "Not approved!"

"It's not democratic at all."

Tazaki Tsukasa shrugged, handed the book back to her, and walked over to Yui Kikawa.

The blonde girl held a camera with the lens cap on, gazing at the sea outside the window. Tazaki Tsukasa looked down; as far as the eye could see, all around him was shimmering seawater.

"Hey, I have a question," he asked in Yui's ear, "What do we do if we can't catch any fish?"

"Go back to the farm and find one to film."

"How was the result?"

Kikawa Yui pressed her index finger to the middle of her forehead and said with a slightly tired expression, "The tuna in the fish farm die between the time they are caught and the time they are transported out to sea, so all we can get is a video of a dead fish being caught."

"It's obviously fake." Tazaki Tsukasa shook his head and sighed as he imagined the scene. "If this were included in the final cut, no matter how well it was filmed before, it would ruin the credibility of the entire promotional video."

"Yes."

Kikawa Yui lowered her gaze with a hint of frustration. "Let's leave it to fate."

"There's no need to be so dejected. The promotional video project itself is perfect."

“If the result isn’t perfect, no matter how well the process is done, it’s all in vain,” the blonde girl said, shaking her head in an extremely flat voice. As she spoke, her slippers slid back and forth on the floor, drawing tiny fish-like patterns.

"I've always admired you."

Kikawa Yui rested her chin on the camera and looked back at him: "What?"

“Someone like me…” Tsukasa Tazaki smiled. “I can naturally stick to what I like, but I can’t last long with what I don’t like. As for you, you can put in 200% effort to do your best even with things you don’t like. To be honest, if I worked as hard as you, I could become the best sixteen-year-old in the world in no time. Of course, I can do it without working that hard.”

Kikawa Yui stared at him intently, waiting for him to continue.

Tazaki Tsukasa lowered his voice and pointed at Kuriyama Sakura on the sofa: "That lazybones is far inferior to you in this respect."

"Haha~"

The blonde girl couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Unlike her usual somewhat formulaic smiles, this was a very natural one, her lips parting suddenly, as gentle as a wisp of smoke rising above a farmhouse on an autumn evening. But less than two seconds later, she realized what she had done and looked away in slight panic.

Kuriyama Sakura rolled her eyes at them, turned over, and began reading with her back to them.

“It’s tiring and difficult.” Tsukasa Tazaki picked up a paper and pen from the table. “But it’s really admirable. I’ll do my best to help you. Of course, I’m also taking my chances. I’m not entirely sure. If we don’t catch anything today, then it’s just fate. If we do catch something, remember to give me credit.”

The blonde girl succinctly commented, "Shameless!"

At the same time, Kuriyama Sakura, who was on the sofa, looked over here and said, "Congratulations, Kikawa-kun, you've finally discovered the shameless side of this scumbag."

"I'm too lazy to explain to you mortals!"

Tsukasa Tazaki picked up paper and pen and went to the table to start drawing. Shiori Ninomiya, who was sleeping on the table, trembled slightly and murmured "kiki," then said two unintelligible words in her sleep.

Kikawa Yui rested her hand on her cheek, her eyes fixed on his movements. The midday air was heavy, and intense light particles shimmered like dust, illuminating the thoughtful curve of his cheek.

"shallow!"

Kuriyama Sakura said to her, "Are you that easily moved?"

"Do I need your permission?" Yui Kichikawa retorted, her expression somewhat confrontational.

“Salinger said something like this in this book.” Kuriyama Sakura shook the copy of “The Catcher in the Rye” in her hand and said with a light laugh: “A person has to bear all kinds of external pressures in life, and even more so, face the confusion in their own heart. In the midst of the struggle, if someone casts a look of understanding your way, you will feel a warmth of life.”

What are you trying to say?

"It's beneath her dignity to be so easily moved as a so-called genius girl."

Qichuan Wei scoffed dismissively, "Instead of using this to mock me, you should reflect on whether you've fallen into the same trap yourself!"

Kuriyama Sakura's smile froze, and her gaze became increasingly hostile.

The air was instantly filled with the smell of gunpowder, and the two beautiful girls stared at each other, locked in a long standoff.

I can testify, and she was the same...

Tsukasa Tazaki, smelling the gunpowder filling the cabin, didn't dare utter a single word.

I used a ballpoint pen to trace over ten penguin patterns on the paper.

"Kiki..." Shiori Ninomiya, half asleep, raised her head slightly and asked groggily, "What are you doing?"

"Draw a penguin."

"penguin?"

"Yes, penguins that swim all the way from faraway places to Tokyo Bay."

The little cutie didn't understand, so she slumped over and fell asleep again.

Tsukasa Tazaki drew a few more sketches, and the final design he chose was a chibi-style Magellanic penguin.

When deciding on the necklace length, he silently recalled the soft touch of Hoshino Hanami and the distance between her neck and the cleavage, to ensure that the little penguin would be perfectly positioned in the middle of her perfect breasts.

Everything is ready. Open the system store.

[Lucky Pendant: 100000]

[Do you confirm the purchase?]

[Item purchased, cost: 100000]

[Currently available funds: 1437250]

The obtained items are initially in an inactive state and will change shape according to your current thoughts.

A small, unidentified metal piece appeared in Tsukasa Tazaki's palm. He closed his eyes and sketched the pattern on the paper in his mind.

[Have you confirmed the shape?]

[Confirmed.]

[Item: Lucky Charm, activated.]

What you hold in your heart will surely come to pass.

Enjoy using it!

Tazaki Tsukasa opened his eyes, and an adorable, miniature Magellanic penguin appeared in his palm, about the size of his little finger's knuckle. It was translucent, with a crystal-clear texture, somewhat like crystal. It also felt incredibly smooth and warm to the touch, as delicate as fine jade.

Upon closer inspection, a faint halo can be seen seeping out from within.

The perfect birthday gift.

Tsukasa Tazaki originally planned to give it to Da'ai on July 7th, but it's okay to exchange it early now. Let's just consider it a blessing.

I put the necklace on and stepped off the deck.

With his hands clasped together, Tsukasa Tazaki faced Tokyo and prayed sincerely: "Big sister above, please bless your favorite bratty little brother so that he can successfully complete his work assignment this time!"

Chapter 169 Qichuan Wei, you're finished!

At 3 p.m., the sunlight began to weaken slightly.

Tsukasa Tazaki put on a tennis cap, returned to his position, cast his fishing line, and then secured his fishing rod to the gunwale.

Sitting next to him was the experienced President Nakano. As a veteran fisherman, he probably knew it was unlikely he would catch any tuna, so he kept whispering words of comfort in Tsukasa Tazaki's ear.

Whether you can catch anything, and what kind of fish you catch, all depends on luck.

"Fishing is fishing, not catching fish. It's normal not to catch anything."

"Besides, the most important thing about fishing is to have fun. Are you tired? If you are, go and take a rest."

"Air force attacks are commonplace for anglers. If you don't want to go back empty-handed, you can drink some seawater before you leave!"

"To be honest, I've drunk it many times."

Tazaki Tsukasa glanced at his large belly, and President Nakano laughed heartily: "Anyway, as long as you're happy."

The afternoon hours flowed by quietly, like an unfathomable, muddy river.

Under a large parasol, Kuriyama Sakura bent her legs, resting her chin on her knees, her posture relaxed and elegant. Gazing at the shimmering sea, the sea breeze blew, her hair swaying slightly, and seagulls flew over the beautiful Tsugaru Strait.

In the still bright sunshine, she felt the vastness and expanse of the sea.

Occasionally glancing sideways at Tsukasa Tazaki, the girl's lips pursed slightly, revealing a helpless smile.

Should I remind him?

The thought flashed through her mind, and Kuriyama Sakura shook her head, thinking that she should let him figure it out himself.

In contrast, Shiori Ninomiya didn't think that much. She rested her chin on her hands, her gaze fixed on Tsukasa Tazaki.

A white sweatshirt and a white tennis cap, a sunny afternoon, a boy as radiant as the sun!

"Kiki, are you tired?" The little cutie's sweet voice came from behind.

Feeling a bit dizzy from the sun, Tsukasa Tazaki shook his head to clear his head.

Turning his gaze, he saw the two of them and forced a smile.

The little cutie raised both hands above her head, bent them inwards, and made a heart shape: "Go for it!"

"no problem."

Tazaki Tsukasa gave an OK sign, straightened his posture, and kept praying in his heart.

Fish, take the bait!

Fish, take the bait!

Regarding his trip to Oma Town over the past two weeks, he initially thought he would just be able to submit a satisfactory assignment, but now that he's in this situation where he's only one step away, he's more or less considering submitting a perfect one.

It wasn't just to help Yui Kishikawa, but also because they didn't want all the efforts the four of them had made to go to waste.

He thought the blonde girl promotional video project was excellent from the start, a perfect project. The reason it's having problems now is simply because the season is wrong, not due to human error...

Wait a minute!

Tsukasa Tazaki frowned, realizing something was amiss.

As an outsider, I didn't know anything about tuna habits, so it's normal that I didn't realize it was the wrong season from the start. But Yui Kichikawa isn't like that. Even if she didn't know about tuna habits before, given her perfectionist attitude, she would have done her research beforehand. How could she have made such a basic mistake?