My love index is at its maximum.

With a piece of roasted chicken she'd bought sometime ago dangling from her mouth, her high-rising ahoge (cowlick) indicated that she was extremely happy and not at all annoyed at missing the target.

"Tazaki..."

She pointed to a box tied with a ribbon at the top of the row, "I want that one!"

Without saying a word, Tsukasa Tazaki took out 200 yen and handed it to the stall owner, taking the toy air gun from her.

Hoshino Hanami bent down and whispered in his ear, "If you can win that prize, I'll kiss you."

"boom."

Tsukasa Tazaki steadily pulled the trigger.

With the aid of masterful marksmanship, the bullet ricocheted straight out and struck the box tied with a ribbon. The box wobbled slightly and, under the envious gazes of the children, fell from the shelf.

"Tazaki is awesome!"

Hoshino Hanami cheered loudly, swallowed the roasted chicken in her mouth in one gulp, and gave Tazaki Tsukasa a kiss on the cheek.

Tsukasa Tazaki reached out and touched his face, which was covered in oil and seasoning stains.

The box contained bubble toys. They were specially tied with ribbons and placed on the top shelf simply to make them look more expensive and attract customers.

Tazaki Tsukasa lamented, "Every merchant in the world, without exception, has a black heart."

"It's okay, this is what I want."

With a happy expression, Hoshino Hanami untied the ribbon from the box and gave the bubble-blowing toy inside to the group of children who had been watching.

"Thank you, big sister!"

The children scattered, and Hoshino Hanami deftly twisted her wrist and used a pink ribbon to tie her previously loose long hair into a ponytail.

Then, she tossed her hair in front of Tsukasa Tazaki: "Isn't it cute?"

"..."

"Say I'm cute!"

"Cute, super cute."

"really?"

"Absolutely no exaggeration."

Satisfied, Hoshino Hanami released her grip on his cheek, turned around, and pulled him to buy shaved ice.

One glass of yellow, one glass of pink.

The two of them, each holding a cup of shaved ice, walked out of the shopping street and came to the Asakusa River to enjoy the cool breeze while eating and waiting for the upcoming fireworks display.

Many river lanterns floated on the river.

They sell them at a nearby stall; you can buy one for 3000 yen. Couples can write their wishes on it and then put it in the Asakusa River so it can float downstream to the Pacific Ocean.

What does Tanabata, Japan's festival, have to do with couples?

Or is it that in the eyes of capitalists, all holidays except Qingming Festival are Valentine's Day?

Tsukasa Tazaki obediently took out 3000 yen.

When it came to making wishes, he and Hoshino Hanami were in complete agreement. However, they had some disagreement about their names. After a harmonious discussion, Hoshino Hanami gave up on Tazaki Tsukasa's idea of ​​using the intimate term "Tazaki-nii-chan" (Tazaki-nii-chan, Hanami-sama, Tsukasa's older brother) for addressing him.

[Forever loving my older sister—my naughty little brother]

[Forever loving my little brother—Big sister]

The river lanterns were launched and drifted into the distance, their candlelight flickering and casting a faint glow on the dark water.

It is said that if you sincerely make a wish to the gods when releasing river lanterns, it will surely come true.

Hoshino Hanami's lips curled slightly, and her eyes held an undisguised smile.

So...

The gods will surely know our intentions.

The fireworks display is about to begin, and you can see it from the Asakusa River. Although the view isn't the best, it's less crowded, making it a good spot for couples who want to do something intimate.

"I'm so happy today!"

Hoshino Hanami happily ate two servings of shaved ice, exclaiming, "My first date was a complete success!"

"Let me taste it." Tsukasa Tazaki fanned her with a fan while opening his mouth and saying, "Ah~"

"Want to know?"

"think."

Hoshino Hanami scooped up a spoonful of yellow shaved ice and put it in her mouth, then quickly pounced on him on the riverbank and kissed him on the lips.

The night breeze rustled through the branches, the lamplight flickered, and my tongue tasted the cool, refreshing flavor of pineapple.

"Big sister has such a sweet tongue."

Tsukasa Tazaki put his arm around her waist and smiled contentedly.

An atmosphere that could be described as "silent intimacy" lingered in the air between the two...

"boom!"

A faint explosion could be heard in the distance.

More than a dozen fireballs, trailing long flames, shot into the night sky and exploded with a 'bang'. Against the backdrop of the dark night sky, colorful fireworks bloomed in a dazzling display, and the tourists at the festival looked up and cheered.

The bright firelight illuminated Hoshino Hanami's face.

Tazaki Tsukasa turned his head to look at her; her naturally beautiful face was exceptionally lovely and moving in the firelight.

"Hanami-san, I have a gift for you."

"What is it?"

Hoshino Hanami ignored the fireworks and turned to face Tazaki Tsukasa.

Tazaki Tsukasa opened his palm, and the lucky charm lay in his hand. Under the dim lights of the riverbank, the penguin, which looked like a piece of jade, emitted a halo that seemed to have materialized faintly.

"what is this?"

The penguins were so cute that Hoshino Hanami didn't even dare to touch them, afraid of ruining their beauty.

"This is the luckiest penguin in the world, representing the one and only Tsukasa Tazaki. Only you can wear it."

Hoshino Hanami tilted her head slightly and said softly, "Help me put it on."

Tsukasa Tazaki put the necklace around her neck, then adjusted its position so that the little penguin landed precisely in the soft embrace of her cleavage.

"You made it this length on purpose, didn't you, Mr. Penguin!"

"Haha, of course it was intentional."

Hoshino Hanami covered her chest with both hands, feeling the warm touch between them, and stared into Tazaki Tsukasa's eyes with her eyes reflecting the fireworks: "Onee-sama likes it very much, so please take me home now!"

[Penguin-kun, so cute~! Hoshino Hanami Stock Index rose 50 points, current stock price: 600]

At 10 p.m., Tsukasa Tazaki returned to his rented apartment.

Hoshino Hanami craned her neck and watched curiously from behind him.

She opened the door and glanced around briefly. It was a room about 9 square meters in size. The interior decoration was practically nonexistent; the only furniture was a bookcase and a wardrobe, and the bed was a tatami mat that took up a third of the room's space.

Compared to Sakura's family, this place was extremely shabby.

Hoshino Hanami smiled smugly, then turned around and hugged Tazaki Tsukasa's neck: "Your older sister took a liking to you when you had nothing, aren't you touched?"

Tazaki felt her soft body, and his Adam's apple bobbed nervously.

"Don't rush!"

Hoshino Hanami smiled gently: "I need to take a shower and change my clothes first. Shikami's school uniform is too small, it's a bit uncomfortable."

Did you bring any clothes?

"No, change into your shirt."

Tazaki Tsukasa took her school uniform shirt out of the closet, watched her walk into the bathroom, and then sat alone at her desk with a book in her hand, waiting for her older sister to return from the bath with agonizing anticipation.

Ten minutes that felt like an eternity finally passed before the bathroom door opened and footsteps sounded in my ears.

Tazaki Tsukasa appeared to be engrossed in reading, but his gaze was slanted to the side.

The adorable girl, who had just finished showering, was wearing only a white shirt and underwear. Her wet hair was tied up, revealing her tiny ears, which looked as if they had been painted with a soft brush.

A slender and graceful neck, thighs completely exposed, the body still slightly warm from a recent shower, and delicate skin radiating an alluring pink glow under the light.

Tazaki Tsukasa swallowed hard, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Hoshino Hanami smiled smugly and knelt gracefully beside him, saying, "Tazaki-nii-san..."

"What?" Tsukasa Tazaki turned around from his chair and looked at her with a serious expression.

Hoshino Hanami looked up at him with a sweet smile: "Hanami-neechan has washed herself clean."

"Oh."

"I've applied perfume."

"good."

"I'm kneeling beside you."

"good."

"Brother Tazaki, you're going to kiss Hanami-neechan."

Hoshino Hanami opened her arms for a hug, and her fair collarbone and impressive cleavage were clearly visible beneath the open collar of her shirt.

Tazaki Tsukasa coldly shook his head, lightly lifting her snow-white chin with one finger: "Not obedient enough."

"What should Hanami do?" Hoshino Hanami's cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes, which were fixed on him, were like a deep spring, rippling with every blink.

Tsukasa Tazaki patted his thigh: "I'll sit here."

Hoshino Hanami sat obediently on his lap.

"You need to put your arms around my neck."

Is that so?