My love index is at its maximum.

Ok?

What's she doing here?

On the opposite side, Kuriyama Sakura raised her gaze from the book "A Century of Fame" in her hands and glanced at Tazaki Tsukasa.

"woke up?"

Tazaki Tsukasa rubbed his eyes, and as his vision gradually cleared, Kuriyama Sakura handed him a bag.

"This is?"

"Bento, eat it... while it's still a little warm." Kuriyama Sakura swept the ponytail hanging in front of her chest behind her back: "Shimamoto-sensei said you took cold medicine at noon and have been sleeping until now, so you must be very hungry now."

“I am indeed hungry.” Tsukasa Tazaki nodded, then looked at her with a puzzled expression: “Have you been waiting here for a long time?”

"From noon until now, I think."

So you mean you came as soon as you saw my message?

“That’s right.” Kuriyama Sakura nodded indifferently, then took out a notebook and mechanical pencil from her bag and said with her head down, “Hurry up and eat, the library will close in half an hour.”

Tsukasa Tazaki opened the bag, inside which was a bento box containing stewed potatoes, a green salad, and braised pork, as well as a small bottle of orange juice and a few slices of toast.

The braised pork was quite greasy, perhaps because I had a cold and a poor appetite. The potatoes were also a bit mushy. However, the vegetable salad was surprisingly delicious, and Tsukasa Tazaki ate it all.

Kuriyama Sakura was writing something on a piece of paper with her head down, occasionally glancing up at him and watching him eat with great interest.

The sunlight barely penetrated the thick, low-hanging clouds, appearing dim as if shaved into fine powder. The reading area lights were on, their warm yellow hues outlining the silhouettes of two people.

After seeing Tsukasa Tazaki finish the last slice of bread, Sakura Kuriyama put down her pen and looked over: "How did it taste?"

"It's alright." Tsukasa Tazaki wiped his mouth clean and took a sip of orange juice.

"Your eating manners are quite elegant..." Kuriyama Sakura pressed her fist against her delicate chin and praised in a voice that didn't sound like a compliment at all: "You have a bit of aristocratic demeanor, even though you're just a fallen nobleman."

Tsukasa Tazaki asked the question that had been on his mind: "Just tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Out of consideration for the meal she had given me, I spent a few words with her.

Of course, if she goes too far and makes demands, just refuse!

“As the head of the ATF club…” Kuriyama Sakura crossed her arms and cast a scrutinizing glance at him: “I need to get to know my new member, so start answering my questions.”

"Wait a minute..." Tsukasa Tazaki interrupted her, "A club member?"

"Yes."

"It's passed already? Isn't being both scholarly and martial still missing the 'scholarly' part?"

“Oh, that…” Kuriyama Sakura raised her pretty face and said with a light laugh, “That was someone else’s request. Whether you are ultimately selected or not will not affect the fact that you are one of only two members of the ATF club.”

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

He wasn't sure if his cold was affecting his brain, but for a moment he didn't quite understand what she meant.

It seems like before... Hoshino Hanami said that the ATF club wasn't recruiting members, but rather messing around.

So the question is, how did the teacher know?

Tsukasa Tazaki frowned. Could it be... that there was some dirty, unspeakable deal between the two of them?

"Start answering." Kuriyama Sakura crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair, and looked at Tazaki Tsukasa with a scrutinizing gaze: "What do you like? Please name at least three examples."

"Hardcover books, cucumbers in May, tennis rackets scorching hot under the sun."

"What do you dislike? Please give at least three examples."

"Spinach, wet sneakers, and crows that always leave trash everywhere."

What was your dream that you wrote in your graduation yearbook when you graduated from junior high school?

After thinking for a moment, Tsukasa Tazaki replied, "I will marry Yui Sugawa."

Kuriyama Sakura smiled. "What are your dreams now?"

"To become a landlord, or to become the husband of a landlady."

"Kirigawa Yui doesn't want it anymore?"

Who is Yui Kirikawa?

"Running away is not a good idea."

Tsukasa Tazaki shrugged indifferently.

Kuriyama Sakura wrote a few lines on the paper, then looked up again: "What do you think of your department head?"

“Flat-chested woman,” Tsukasa Tazaki replied calmly.

"Thank you for your honest answer, you expressionless guy." Kuriyama Sakura's eyes narrowed into a dangerous arc, then she asked coldly, "Besides that, do you have any other thoughts?"

Tsukasa Tazaki stared at her slender, white fingers, thought seriously for a moment, and replied succinctly: "A narcissistic flat-chested woman."

Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her forehead as if in a headache: "Do you men really like big breasts that much?"

"No, I prefer older women."

?

Kuriyama Sakura blinked in disbelief, her mind filled with question marks.

Then, she remembered that Tsukasa Tazaki had once said that she liked gentle and intellectual older sisters, and suddenly realized, "Can I interpret this as an Oedipus complex?"

“No!” Tsukasa Tazaki shook his head and said firmly, “I am only seeking a soul as mature as mine.”

Kuriyama Sakura stared intently at his face, tilting her head slightly as if to say, "You're sick."

As darkness fell, a flock of crows flew in from the direction of the port area, skimming over the school buildings.

The girl's expression as she pondered intently was like a still painting, but time was slowly slipping away, and it was almost six o'clock.

Tazaki Tsukasa glanced at the gloomy sky outside the window, stood up, and said, "It's getting late, I'll head back now."

"Let's go together. There's one last question."

Kuriyama Sakura put away the paper and pen and walked towards the door.

Tazaki Tsukasa tidied up the trash on the table and followed behind her. As they passed the counter by the door, Shimamoto Kana gave him a thumbs-up!

Then, she smiled and lowered her voice, saying, "It's not wrong to like older people, but at your current age, it's better to enjoy your youth as much as possible."

Uh……

The teacher heard it...

I feel so ashamed.

Under the watchful eye of Kana Shimamoto, Tsukasa Tazaki fled in a disheveled state.

Stepping out of the staircase, you enter the lush, vibrant courtyard, a haven for modern life.

The trees in the garden were neatly trimmed, and the flowerbeds were planted with crabapple, azalea, and hydrangea. There was a rockery among the trees, with a small pond peeking out in the middle.

All sorts of birds fly in, from one tree to another, or fly down to the pond to drink and preen their feathers.

A rather large orange cat suddenly jumped out, causing a flock of birds to take flight in a panic. The big orange cat ignored the birds and leisurely walked to Kuriyama Sakura's legs.

Meow~!

It rubbed its nose against the girl's legs, which were clad in black pantyhose, and then shamelessly lay down on the shoe and rolled around.

Tazaki Tsukasa glanced at Kuriyama Sakura's slender, long legs, then looked at the big orange dog.

He suddenly felt a little envious of the fat cat.

After all... Kuriyama Sakura may not have a bust, but she has legs!

Chapter Twenty: The Landlady Sneaks into the House While Tazaki is Unconscious

"Hey, sardine, how come you've gotten so fat again?"

Kuriyama Sakura seemed to be quite familiar with this fat cat. She squatted down and reached out to pet the cat's head, while the fat orange cat half-closed its eyes and made a "huffing" sound in its throat.

Tazaki Tsukasa suddenly remembered that when he analyzed her with the analyzer before, there was information in the intelligence that she "raises cats to relieve loneliness".

In other words, is this a lonely cat lover?

After watching for a while, he asked curiously, "Is this cat called Sardine?"

“That’s right.” Kuriyama Sakura scratched “Sardine’s” chin and explained, “Among the stray cats that often linger around the school, it’s the fattest one.”

Tsukasa Tazaki wasn't interested in how many stray cats were at the school. After asking the question, his gaze lingered on her legs.

Black pleated skirt, black tights, white sneakers.

If you wear this, your feet must smell really bad, right?

Thinking this way, he suddenly felt a little bored and looked away.

On the other side of the courtyard, a man and a woman were playing badminton. Both were quite skilled, but suddenly they started embracing. To Tazaki Tsukasa, it seemed less like they were playing badminton and more like they were using the opportunity to flaunt their affection. Behind them, a man using a lawnmower was expressionlessly mowing the grass.

Hmm, this guy is probably a single dog like me.

After Kuriyama Sakura had satisfied her craving for cats, the two of them walked out of the school gate together and headed to Yotsuya Station to catch the train.

A light rain began to fall from the sky, and clumps of cold air filled the air. Tsukasa Tazaki wrapped his school uniform jacket tighter around himself.

On the platform at Yotsuya Station, the two stood behind the yellow line, waiting for the train they were about to board.

Tsukasa Tazaki is going back to Shinjuku, while Sakura Kuriyama is going to Chiyoda, which are in opposite directions.

While waiting for the tram, she stared into Tsukasa Tazaki's eyes and asked, "Since you have such good swordsmanship, how did you manage to be bullied for ten years without saying a word?"

A gust of wind carrying a light drizzle blew in from the sky at the other end of the platform, causing her long ponytail, which trailed down to her hips, to sway slightly.

Tsukasa Tazaki remained silent.

There's no way to answer that question. I can't exactly tell her I'm a time traveler and an imposter.

Looking at his profile, Kuriyama Sakura calmly said, "Everyone has something called personal space, and they feel very uncomfortable if others get close to it."

"Are you referring to AT Fields?" Tsukasa Tazaki turned to look at her. "Even the best works aren't good if you get too absorbed in them."

"Well, I have an obligation to be responsible to my clients, so I need to get to know you, the candidate, better."

The tram screeched as it pulled into the platform, and the crowd waiting to go home began to move.