My love index is at its maximum.

Some of the students at the front of the line started loudly signing in.

"First place, Tsukasa Tazaki from Class F."

"Second place, Kuriyama Sakura from Class A."

"Third place, Yui Sikawa from Class A."

The three players took the top three spots with very small margins, and also widened the gap with the fourth-place team by a large margin.

fortunately.

The embarrassing situation didn't happen to me.

Tazaki Tsukasa breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Kuriyama Sakura: "Captain, is this the result of you getting serious?"

“That doesn’t prove anything.” Kuriyama Sakura crossed her arms and said firmly, “American writer Salinger once said that no matter what you do, if you do it too perfectly the first time, you will unintentionally show off the next time. In that case, it will be impossible to achieve the same level of perfection as before.”

"This has nothing to do with your exam results..."

"I'm not going to say anything more, I'm going to check Shiori's ranking."

Kuriyama Sakura brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she walked toward the bulletin board, wondering to herself—she had stayed up all night studying, so why couldn't she outperform him?

Are there really geniuses in the world who are even more talented than me?

Actually, no.

What the minister didn't know was that her opponent was not only a genius, but also an overpowered one.

By the way, my little cutie has improved her ranking and is now fifteenth in the grade.

We're very close to our goal of being in the top ten of our grade.

……

After school in the afternoon, the Minister first entered the ATF Department activity room.

She first turned on the kettle to boil water, then sat by the window to read a book.

Once the water in the kettle boils, she'll use a pencil or eraser to press it into a book, then get up and go to the tea cabinet to make tea or coffee.

This habit has hardly changed.

However, after the club gained a new member...

With a "click," the kettle automatically shut off, and hot steam continued to billow out from the spout.

Kuriyama Sakura continued reading her hardcover book, her gaze occasionally glancing at the only member walking toward the tea cabinet.

Hot water is poured into the glass teapot, and the tea leaves rise with the water flow before quietly sinking back to the bottom of the pot, releasing their aroma.

After brewing the tea, Tsukasa Tazaki took out four mugs from the cupboard and placed them on the table. He poured the tea from the pot into the mugs one by one, then cursed at the mug with a lazy fat cat pattern printed on it, saying, "Just like your master, lazy cat!"

Kuriyama Sakura turned her head to look out the window, her shoulders swaying slightly.

The door to the activity room opened, and as soon as Shiori Ninomiya entered, her eyes immediately lit up with excitement: "Great, it's snack time again!"

"Why are you so late today?" Tsukasa Tazaki took two boxes of cookies from the tea cabinet and sat down on the sofa.

Shiori Ninomiya held the mug in both hands, blowing on it as she said, "Shimamoto-sensei just talked to me for a while."

Why would Shimamoto-sensei be looking for you?

"Kiki is so silly." The little cutie touched her lips to the side of the mug, turned to look at him and said, "Ms. Shimamoto is a life counselor, and I am a country girl from Hokkaido. Isn't it normal for her to care about my life in Tokyo?"

“Oh…that makes sense.” Tazaki Tsukasa picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then looked at Kuriyama Sakura: “Captain, the tea will get cold if we don’t drink it soon.”

Kuriyama Sakura seemed to have a headache, gently pressing her temples.

“Silence doesn’t work on me,” Tsukasa Tazaki sighed, leaning back on the sofa and staring at the ceiling. “Wearing a maid outfit and being my servant for a day has become an inevitable thing.”

"..."

Kuriyama Sakura looked out the window, and a warm summer breeze blew in her face. She hugged her arms and shivered as if she were a little cold.

Hello~

Hoshino Shikami pushed the door open, put her hands on her hips, and loudly announced, "Everyone, the 99th-ranked student in the grade is speaking to you now, so please show me respect..."

All three of them turned around to look at her.

The words "First", "Second", and "Fifteenth" were printed on their faces.

"goodbye!"

Hoshino Shikami left with his head down, as arrogant as he had come, and as pathetic as he left.

Chapter 177 This time, Kana Shimamoto personally extended the invitation.

A cute and charming goofy character.

This is how Tsukasa Tazaki views his sister-in-law in his mind.

At 5 p.m., I packed my things and pushed open the door to the activity room.

Sunlight streamed in from the courtyard, and the afternoon heat gradually intensified. Looking out from the corridor, the playground seemed much more lively than usual today; the enthusiastic shouts of sports club members could be heard clearly. Groups of students strolled leisurely along the track, enjoying the last moments of the semester.

After thinking for a moment, Tsukasa Tazaki turned to the two girls and said, "See you in September."

After classes tomorrow afternoon, there will be a school-wide cleaning session; there will be no time for club activities.

Therefore, the statement that we will see each other in September is quite accurate.

Before the two girls could answer, Tsukasa Tazaki turned and left.

Every now and then, classmates would pass by and greet him happily.

Tazaki Tsukasa nodded in response calmly.

I've been at this school for over three months now, and I have indeed memorized quite a few faces, but that's about all I can remember.

These scenes and aspects of life are becoming increasingly familiar, but one day they will be completely forgotten... As Tsukasa Tazaki walked out of the school gate, he kept thinking about these questions that could be called philosophical or pretentious.

……

ATF Department Activity Room.

The aroma of black tea is long gone.

Shiori Ninomiya played on her phone on the sofa for a while, then went to the window, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Sakura Kuriyama, who was diagonally opposite her, looked up slightly and said softly, "If nothing special happens, we really won't see each other again until the start of the school year in September."

Even when she considered the Hokkaido girl a friend, her tone and attitude remained largely unchanged, her voice remarkably calm. After speaking, her gaze returned to the hardcover book, occasionally flicking her fingers to turn a page.

Shiori Ninomiya complained, "You Tokyoites only know how to bully country bumpkins!"

Through the wide-open window, one could hear the slogans of the sports clubs on the playground; her words were mixed in with them, but they were still quite clear.

Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on her hand, thinking as she spoke, "I admit that Tokyoites do have a bad reputation. But Shiori-chan should be able to distinguish between individual differences within a group; not everyone is as awful as Tsukasa Tazaki."

Flocks of pigeons took off from the oak trees and flew in unison toward the old auditorium.

Ninomiya Shiori tilted her head slightly, peering at her face: "When is Sakura planning to wear a maid outfit?"

Kuriyama Sakura: "..."

"August 8th is Kiki's birthday."

"What does this have to do with me?" Kuriyama Sakura bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes darting around uncertainly.

Shiori Ninomiya's narrowed eyes gleamed with ill intent: "I plan to wear maid outfits with Sakura on that day to celebrate Kiki's birthday."

"...I'm not interested."

"But I was in the kendo club training camp that day. Kiki could only see the two cute maids when she went to the training camp."

Kuriyama Sakura shook her head: "I can't persuade him."

"Whoa..."

Ninomiya Shiori leaned close to her, propping herself up on the table, and teased, "Sakura, did you immediately think of how to persuade him to go so he could see you in a maid outfit?"

Kuriyama Sakura was speechless and instinctively turned her head away in a panic.

“Sakura is shy.” Shiori Ninomiya raised the corners of her mouth slightly, her expression as if she had seen some newly discovered species.

Kuriyama Sakura forced herself to remain calm: "He's not going anyway, so please don't discuss such pointless things with me."

"That seems to make sense..."

The little cutie immediately deflated, slumped onto the table, and muttered helplessly, "Anyway, the two of us are not important to Kiki at all."

Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window.

The setting sun traced an elliptical arc, about to sink below the top of the building.

Nothing happened that day; it was just an ordinary day, like most of the semester. The ATF department was about to finish its first, meaningless full semester since its establishment.

"Excuse me, I'm coming in."

The activity room door opened again, and Kana Shimamoto walked in with her arms crossed.

Kuriyama Sakura sighed softly, saying helplessly, "How many times have I told you, please remember to knock..."

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Kana Shimamoto smiled leisurely, then looked around the room and asked curiously, "Where's Tazaki-san?"

"He went back."

"Eh?"

Kana Shimamoto frowned and looked at Shiori Ninomiya. "Didn't Ninomiya-san tell him?"

Shiori Ninomiya lowered her head and said, "I can't say it."

"Why didn't you say so?" Shimamoto Kana tilted her head slightly, her eyes fixed on her through her glasses. "Didn't you really want him to participate in the training camp and then sign up for the national tournament in August?"

"I hope he participated because he wanted to."

After saying that, Shiori Ninomiya paused for a moment, then stubbornly shook her head: "It's not because I wanted him to participate that he did."

Kuriyama Sakura turned a page in her book and nodded thoughtfully.

“Ninomiya-kun is surprisingly thoughtful…” Shimamoto Kana tapped her glasses frame with her fingertip, a warm smile playing on her lips: “No wonder she’s Tazaki-kun’s rumored mistress.”

"Mr. Shimamoto, you've got the cause and effect wrong."