My love index is at its maximum.

"Does the teacher feel lonely?" Tsukasa Tazaki moved a little distance away to better read her expression when she answered.

A refined and clear smile appeared on Shimamoto Kana's face: "If you're not lonely, can you hold me now?"

“That makes sense.” Tsukasa Tazaki smiled knowingly.

"Although I am not alone, I am very lonely. As for why I am like this, I know it all too well. It is simply because I understand my situation. So from the moment I met you, I could sense a similar quality in you, and I naturally felt close to you."

As she spoke, Shimamoto Kana cupped his cheeks in her hands: "But I gradually realized that you and I are different. You are stronger and more independent than me. I just accept my fate. But you are fighting against reality, whether it is leaving the Kikawa family to survive on your own or boldly pursuing Hoshino-sensei. I admire you, or rather, envy you."

Tsukasa Tazaki kept observing her expression.

The smile had vanished from her lips, but the faint light in her pupils remained as captivating as ever.

“Hey, Tazaki-san…” Shimamoto Kana took a deep breath, as if she had made a decision, and said, “For a long time, I…”

Her voice stopped abruptly, and she lowered her eyes sadly, looking as if she couldn't continue speaking.

"Why did you stop talking?" Tsukasa Tazaki whispered, bringing his face close to her ear. "Shimamoto-sensei, I'm still listening."

"I'm a little embarrassed..."

Tsukasa Tazaki joked, "What's there to be embarrassed about when you're already hugging each other?"

"Don't you even know anything about women?!" Shimamoto Kana huffed, lifting her chin, then couldn't resist pinching his cheek. After a bit of playful banter, a gentle smile returned to her lips, a serene smile undisturbed by anything.

"For a long time, I've been thinking about..."

Taking a deep breath as if preparing herself, Kana Shimamoto bit her lower lip: "If I had met you in my teenage years, let you hug me, and let you touch my entire body while you undressed me, then at the age of twenty-two, perhaps I would have had more courage to rebel against reality."

Tsukasa Tazaki said seriously, "I might not necessarily like Shimamoto-kun."

"Oh right, I forgot you like older women."

"Is it too late for me to strip you naked now?"

"It's too late."

Kana Shimamoto leaned forward, squeezing herself into his arms. "When Shimamoto-san opens her eyes every morning, the world she sees is bright and beautiful, and everything is more pleasant than yesterday. But when Shimamoto-sensei opens his eyes, all he thinks about is hoping that today won't be more troublesome than yesterday."

"Why don't you give it a try?"

"How can I try... Hey, don't... Let go... No!"

Kana Shimamoto instinctively straightened her back, her body trembling slightly as if she'd been electrocuted. She slapped Tsukasa Tazaki's back a few times, both embarrassed and angry: "Let go right now!!!"

With something in his mouth, Tsukasa Tazaki asked in a muffled tone, "Knowing that I have feelings for you, instead of staying away from me, you deliberately approached me and created ambiguity. Mr. Shimamoto, can you explain why?"

"You...you must be an idiot."

"how?"

Kana Shimamoto gripped his back tightly and shouted as if she were about to throw caution to the wind, "It's because I like you. I am indeed very kind to people, but I can't be that kind to just anyone! Yes, I think you're nice, but that's not quite the right way to put it. I just have a lot of good feelings for you, but not to the point where you can do whatever you want to me!"

Tazaki Tsukasa raised his head and hugged her warm and smooth body again. The thin sweater, stretched loosely, clung softly to her skin, rising and falling gently on her chest with each breath.

"I'm angry!"

Shimamoto Kana, her face flushed, snorted and turned her face away from him in a childish sulkiness.

When will you get a divorce?

I don't want to talk to you right now!

Kana Shimamoto was still in a state of complete limpness and had no desire to pay any attention to him.

"Then calm down and think it over." Tsukasa Tazaki held her body, his fingertips smooth against her skin. It was like a vivid dream coming to life; her slight trembling was a living reality. He stroked her body as his thoughts wandered.

After a while, Shimamoto Kana turned her head and buried her face in his neck, the sensation on the tip of her nose felt so real.

Tazaki Tsukasa used his fingers to feel every part of her body, her shoulders, wrists, palms, and lower abdomen, leaving no detail untouched.

Saying nothing, Kana Shimamoto simply breathed quietly, without uttering a word.

But she needs herself.

Tsukasa Tazaki could sense this.

She hugged herself tightly, her breath warm and moist, and poured out the words she couldn't say.

After a short while, Kana Shimamoto said, "That's amazing."

After saying that, she looked up at Tsukasa Tazaki, her lips slightly parted, revealing her soft, pink tongue.

As soon as Tsukasa Tazaki leaned in, she immediately stuck out her finger to cover his lips.

"Dameyo~!"

Kana Shimamoto blinked, revealing a mischievous smile: "I found this quite amusing, so I've decided to keep you in suspense from now on, making sure you don't get away with it!"

"Shimamoto Kana, don't go too far!" Tazaki Tsukasa said, biting her fingertip.

"Haha, what can you do to me... Stop, students shouldn't treat their teachers like that!"

"The teacher knows she was wrong... Let's eat first!"

After a long commotion, Shimamoto Kana escaped from the sofa and pressed the call button. Tazaki Tsukasa lay alone on the sofa, enjoying watching her blush as she straightened her disheveled clothes while muttering self-reproach.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Kana Shimamoto walked barefoot across the carpet and quietly pushed the food delivery cart in.

Dosnica beef, king crab legs, Norcha ham, boiled white asparagus, two seafood pasta dishes, plus bread rolls and butter.

In addition to the dishes, the trolley also had candlesticks, red roses, and an ice bucket filled with white wine.

Kana Shimamoto gathered her hair behind her head with her hands, and while tying her ponytail, she turned around and glared at Tsukasa Tazaki: "Aren't you coming over? Are you lying there motionless waiting for the teacher to feed you?"

Tsukasa Tazaki stared intently at her movements. Because of her tight-fitting top and slender waist, the way she raised her arms accentuated the curves of her chest. The dim light cast an alluring pink hue on her fair, delicate neck.

"I'd rather you starve to death."

Kana Shimamoto rolled her eyes at him. When she wasn't wearing her glasses, her slightly intimate expression had a captivating charm.

I wonder if I can eat the teacher after I finish eating... Tsukasa Tazaki rolled off the bed and sat down at the table.

Kana Shimamoto placed the candlesticks and roses in the center of the table, lit the candlesticks, then took out a bottle of white wine from the ice bucket, skillfully removed the cork, poured it into a glass, and took a sip.

The wine was chilled to perfection, and she couldn't resist closing her eyes to savor it.

In the candlelight, her moist lips looked like newly blossoming cherry blossom petals, exceptionally dewy and delicate.

During the meal, the two only chatted intermittently about trivial matters. It was already nine o'clock in the evening, and they were indeed quite hungry. Moreover, every dish was made with fresh ingredients and tasted delicious.

Tazaki Tsukasa quickly finished his portion of pasta and looked up to watch Shimamoto Kana eat.

She used her knife and fork gracefully, bringing only a tiny bit of food to her mouth each time, and occasionally sipping a small amount of white wine from her glass. The surface of the ice bucket was covered with numerous droplets of liquefied water, which slowly slid down onto the table over time.

After watching for a while, Tsukasa Tazaki picked up another crab leg and ate it clean in a very short time.

"You're eating so deliciously," Kana Shimamoto said enviously.

"It tastes pretty good, and besides, I've been starving for ages."

“That’s true, you’re still growing.” Shimamoto Kana pushed her half-eaten pasta over, then leaned back on the sofa and crossed her legs. “If you don’t mind, you can eat this too… I’m already full, do you want some?”

"If the teacher can't eat, then I won't be polite."

Tazaki Tsukasa didn't stand on ceremony and took it to eat.

After spending a lot of time with Hoshino Hanami, his appetite grew rapidly, and a plate of pasta was simply not enough to fill him up.

Kana Shimamoto watched him eat with great interest, occasionally wiping her lips with her finger. This behavior was like that of a young girl, not at all dignified and graceful. Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't help but chuckle softly and said, "Teacher's performance today is truly unexpected."

Good or bad?

"Of course it's good."

Kana Shimamoto smiled at him and said, "This is the only time. Once you leave this room, don't mention it again!"

"Can you resist, teacher?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked, chewing his noodles. "I was attracted to your body when I knew nothing about you, and now that I know more about you, I can't guarantee I can resist."

"You have to resist, even if you can't help it." Shimamoto Kana picked up a bread roll and spread butter on it as she said, "I'm not a kid like you. I have the self-control you need. Besides... I'm going to try and set you up with Kuriyama."

Tsukasa Tazaki chuckled at this remark and couldn't help but ask, "What kind of boring person would do something like this: using their body to seduce me while pushing me towards other girls?"

Kana Shimamoto's face instantly turned bright red, and she gritted her teeth as she snapped, "Don't laugh!"

"It's a funny thing to begin with."

"You're not allowed to laugh!"

“You don’t have to laugh, but there’s something I have to make clear.” Tsukasa Tazaki put down his fork and looked at her face through the bouquet of roses on the table: “I don’t know how things will turn out for Kuriyama-san, but for you, Shimamoto-sensei, I have to.”

"..." Shimamoto Kana placed one hand on her collarbone, her fingers slowly tracing her collarbone. Then she sighed and met his gaze: "Teacher's situation is very complicated, involving two large families, and the current situation cannot be changed in the short term."

Do you want to change?

Kana Shimamoto remained silent.

Tazaki Tsukasa then asked, "Compared to Shimamoto Kana at twenty-two, does Shimamoto Kana now have enough courage to rebel against reality?"

Kana Shimamoto pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly, but it was only a weak smile.

The two said nothing more.

She quietly forked a piece of ham into her mouth, then gently wiped her lips with a napkin. After chewing it carefully, she swallowed and then took a small sip of white wine.

This series of movements was incredibly elegant and skillful; the rim of the cup was spotless, without a trace of oil.

Tazaki Tsukasa ate the beef mixed with the salad, glancing up at her every now and then. Her lips, glistening with olive oil, looked especially alluring in the candlelight, as if light were seeping from beneath her skin.

“Eh…” Shimamoto Kana stared intently at her fingers, then slowly looked up: “Tazaki…”

"what's up?"

"without……"

Kana Shimamoto shook her head silently, then helplessly rubbed her beautifully shaped pink earlobe on her left side.

After Tsukasa Tazaki finished eating all the food on the table, she raised her wine glass and said, "This world is cruel to women. All the glamour and beauty cannot withstand the passage of time, and once gone, it is gone forever."

Tazaki Tsukasa retorted, "After going through all that trouble, all you said was this one sentence that even a child could understand?"

"..."

Kana Shimamoto bit her lower lip, looking aggrieved.

While glaring at him resentfully, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "What kind of attitude is this? I finally managed to say it, why should I be scolded? You're young, of course you don't care, but I'm not young anymore... Hey, what's this?"