My love index is at its maximum.

Beauty Cream: 10000

[Current item purchased, costing 10000]

Current available funds: 47250

Tazaki Tsukasa, holding a small round box that had suddenly appeared, came to her side and handed it to her: "Skincare products that only I in the whole world can afford."

Kana Shimamoto stared intently at the round box in her hand, which contained no information whatsoever, for a long time, a look of deep confusion on her face.

"Clam?"

Don't be so surprised.

"What came from here?"

"I already mentioned skincare products."

Tazaki Tsukasa half-squatted down, putting one arm around her neck: "Delay aging by twenty years."

Kana Shimamoto's heart suddenly stopped for a moment.

Honestly, no woman can resist such temptation.

"Let's try it for a while and see." Tsukasa Tazaki picked up her remaining half-glass of wine and swirled it gently. "Once you've finished it, we can continue our conversation today."

Kana Shimamoto: "..."

Damn it, I feel like he has me completely under his thumb.

If it really works, what should I do?

"Shimamoto-sensei, don't overcomplicate things." Tazaki Tsukasa downed the drink in his glass and gently rested his head on her shoulder. "Let things take their course. Isn't that what you taught me? The river of life always flows in the direction it's meant to flow, so just let things take their course."

"I……"

Kana Shimamoto opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

She could feel the warm pressure of his nose against the skin of her neck, which felt incredibly comfortable. She squinted her eyes slightly, savoring the moment, thinking to herself, "I'll try it first; if it works, I'll be rich, and if it doesn't, I won't lose anything."

As for Tazaki-san...

Let's observe a little longer. I can't really force myself to be his mistress, can I?

Thinking about it this way, her mind became much clearer. Shimamoto Kana gradually regained her usual composure, reached out and pinched Tazaki Tsukasa's ear: "Go back to your seat, your teacher needs to talk to you about official business!"

Chapter 180 Tonight, Kana Shimamoto suffers another crushing defeat.

Kana Shimamoto tidied up the tableware, took it outside, and returned with a pot of iced coffee.

But neither of them poured themselves a drink.

The ice gradually melted, forming a transparent curtain of water on the outside of the glass pot.

"Tazaki-san..." Shimamoto Kana repeated the question from before, "Aside from anything related to Hoshino Hanami, what are your current life goals?"

Tsukasa Tazaki rested his chin on his left hand, deep in thought.

It seems... there's no goal?

He had no intention of becoming a doctor, nor had he considered becoming a lawyer, and becoming a politician was never even on his radar.

The only things that could be considered my life goals, even if they weren't truly life goals, were becoming the husband of a landlord or landlady—two essentially the same goal. But even these goals, which could barely be called life goals, have already been achieved.

After all, Hoshino Hanami is definitely a landlady.

So what should we do next?

When will Kama come to fight?

It seems that besides these righteous partners, there's nothing else I can have as a goal in life...

Thinking about this, Tsukasa Tazaki suddenly felt a little lost.

While waiting for his reply, Shimamoto Kana gazed at the courtyard outside the French windows. There was no wind outside; the cedar branches drooped quietly, and several clusters of bright red azaleas bloomed vividly, almost bursting into flames on the dark floral soil.

The white candles burned out, and the room became dark again.

The sunlight streaming in from the courtyard cast a warm, yellowish glow on the wristwatch on the table, next to which sat a finely crafted Prada handbag. Beneath the table, a pair of wedge-shaped high-heeled sandals and a pair of white tennis shoes sat side-by-side.

Kana Shimamoto turned her gaze back to Tsukasa Tazaki's face.

His face is quite handsome, and his lips are sexy; just looking at him makes your heart flutter.

Those eyes, no less captivating than her own, now held a strange light, as if pleading, or perhaps wanting to confide. Though it was only a faint light, Shimamoto Kana saw it clearly.

She thought he was sending her a signal.

But it's no use. No matter how many signals are sent, it won't easily solve the problem for him.

Kana Shimamoto brought the cup to her lips and took a sip of coffee. She knew the little boy was glancing at her, so she lifted her face from the rim of the cup, pretending to be nonchalant, and glanced at Tsukasa Tazaki as if by chance.

When their eyes met, she gave a subtle, enigmatic smile, then immediately turned her head away, pretending to gaze at the night view of the courtyard outside the window.

This perfect opportunity for a man to strike up a conversation with a woman was deliberately created by Kana Shimamoto.

The goal was to get Tsukasa Tazaki to speak first, so that she could regain control of the conversation and gradually guide him toward the outcome she wanted.

only……

Tsukasa Tazaki remained silent.

The cedar branches drooped silently toward the ground, like a person lost in thought.

Kana Shimamoto waited for a long time, and couldn't help but furrow her beautiful brows.

You're not some naive kid who's never seen the world before. Tazaki-san, you definitely understand this subtle atmosphere. Stop pretending to be innocent, okay? Show me the same enthusiasm you had when you were hugging and touching me!

With her secretly hoping, Tsukasa Tazaki picked up her cup and took a small sip of coffee.

Kana Shimamoto slowly turned to look at him.

The little boy remained silent, only tapping the rim of the glass gently with his fingernails.

Really!

What are you doing?

Slightly biting her lower lip, Kana Shimamoto felt a little upset inside.

From the day they met, she played the role of a caring older sister to Tsukasa Tazaki. She was always in control of their interactions and conversations. Whether through verbal guidance or physical seduction, she combined these two methods, making Tsukasa Tazaki a slightly lecherous but very obedient younger brother in her presence.

Kana Shimamoto thoroughly enjoys this way of spending time with him.

His obedient way of listening to me satisfied my sense of accomplishment as an adult. And his lewd behavior satisfied my vanity as a woman.

Such an outstanding young genius! He completely ignores equally outstanding girls his age, but is infatuated with this old auntie. How can one not want to hold him captive for the rest of one's life?

But just now...

Kana Shimamoto slightly raised her gaze, her eyes becoming melancholic.

Just now, this little boy suddenly shattered the situation that had been so satisfying for him. He simply hugged him directly, and he didn't even put up a fight.

After calming down, Kana Shimamoto realized the seriousness of the situation.

That's absolutely unacceptable.

At the very least, I should be firmer in my stance, otherwise it'll definitely escalate into something like the plot of a pornographic film...

Kana Shimamoto crossed her legs and rubbed her hands together on the table as if to warm them.

No!

Even a very handsome little boy shouldn't do that!

She forced herself to calm down, then bent down as if to pick something up that had fallen onto the carpet, leaning out as much as possible to let the other person see her impressive figure.

Tsukasa Tazaki suddenly spoke up: "I can't figure it out..."

Kana Shimamoto smiled smugly.

Because she was bent over, she didn't see that Tsukasa Tazaki raised his eyebrows and smiled smugly.

"Does Tazaki-san not have any goals of her own?" Shimamoto Kana straightened up, picked up her cup, and took a sip of iced coffee with a relaxed air.

The small, unmelted ice cubes in the glass swayed and made a crisp clinking sound.

Tazaki Tsukasa opened her mouth slightly and replied blankly, "Well, now that you ask me, I realize I don't have any."

Kana Shimamoto observed intently for a long time, then glanced at her wristwatch on the table, looked up and asked, "It's late, can I get straight to the point and ask you a question?"

"Excuse me."

"It might be a bit sharp."

"I will answer any question I can answer."

Kana Shimamoto interlaced her fingers, resting her chin on her hand like Gendo Ikari, scrutinizing him: "Up to now, is Hanami Hoshino your only motivation to move forward?"

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

Even though he was somewhat prepared, he couldn't find a suitable answer to the question for a moment.

To be frank, the answer is yes.

When he first transmigrated, he still held the idea that "a wandering and lonely soul does not need a home."

After meeting Hoshino Hanami, he began to enjoy their daily routine of running and eating together, even though he didn't know her very well at the time. He also liked watching her with her cheeks puffed out as she shared those trivial and boring things in life.

And so, naturally, all the things I did with my efforts became simply aimed at becoming the pride of Hoshino Hanami.

Is this good or bad?

After thinking for a long time, Tsukasa Tazaki looked at Kana Shimamoto and asked, "Do you think this is good or bad?"

She didn't answer, but suddenly stood up, walked barefoot across the carpet, and stood lightly in front of Tsukasa Tazaki. Then she knelt down and placed her delicate white fingers on his lips.

My fingers are smooth and warm.

Tsukasa Tazaki turned his head to look at her.

Then Shimamoto Kana gently stroked his forehead and said softly, "You have the resilience to live on your own. You can bear both good and bad outcomes, which is remarkable. You won't be unable to live if someone is gone, so I won't comment on that."

"So what are you trying to say?"

Not everyone is as strong as you.