My love index is at its maximum.

After a passionate, unrestrained kiss, Tsukasa Tazaki released her. The two leaned against the window, Kana Shimamoto's face flushed, her mouth agape as she unconsciously gasped for breath: "Ha~ ha~"

Once she caught her breath, she quickly said, "Okay, okay, let go now."

"I don't want to let you go." As he spoke, Tsukasa Tazaki placed his hand on her lower abdomen, which was warm and soft, and he could feel a sense of intimacy and tenderness.

The boy's gaze, which contained a certain impulsiveness, was clearly imprinted in Shimamoto Kana's eyes.

"Tasaki~~" she cried out almost pleadingly, "Can we wait a little longer?"

"Alright, alright." Tazaki Tsukasa smiled, carefully examining her dignified and graceful oval face. "But it's incredible that you could understand what I was thinking, teacher."

Kana Shimamoto rubbed her temples: "I've done psychological counseling for so many students, how could I not understand what a student your age is thinking?"

A businesslike tone.

However, it was somewhat of a pretense of bravado, used to cover up the panic in his heart.

Tsukasa Tazaki didn't say anything.

I simply held this charming Ragdoll cat quietly and stroked it gently.

After he left the room, Shimamoto Kana slumped into a swivel chair, her face flushed and panting heavily. Her neatly braided hair had all come loose. The collar of her light green short-sleeved shirt was slightly torn, and her yellow tight skirt had slipped down halfway.

In the afternoon, Tsukasa Tazaki was reading a book alone in the corridor.

I'll stick with Tsukuru Tazaki's path to redemption.

He has read many of Haruki Murakami's works, and what impressed him most were the protagonists in his works, who were almost strikingly similar.

Most of these protagonists live alone. Even those with families, such as Chu Jun in "South of the Border, West of the Sun," yearn to live alone. The time spent alone usually occupies a considerable portion of the works. They often do repetitive things, such as ironing clothes, cooking, reading, and so on. In the end, these people are always out of touch with the times. The music they listen to and the books they read are incompatible with the people around them. They are satisfied with just enough material things and do not pursue new and fashionable things.

In conclusion, they not only couldn't get along with other people, but they also couldn't get along with the times they lived in.

As Tazaki Tsukasa watched, he pondered how similar he was to these people.

If he hadn't met Hoshino Hanami, he probably would have become exactly the same.

Thinking about this, I couldn't wait to go back to Tokyo.

Sigh... Men!

When I get tired of reading, I put on my headphones to listen to music.

As the sun slowly set, the western sea began to glow with the colors of fiery clouds. A sense of twilight permeated the air, and in the distance, the soft glow of the setting sun softened the mountains, making them appear more approachable.

The world is so beautiful, and I'm feeling hungry.

Instead of going to the cafeteria, Tsukasa Tazaki sneaked out to a convenience store and bought a roast beef sandwich made with whole wheat bread and a vegetable salad, along with a carton of milk for dinner.

The sandwich tasted good; the sauce was rich and flavorful, and the meat slices were tender and juicy.

A man was feeding stray cats in front of the convenience store, using the same sandwiches.

Tazaki ate while gazing out at the Shonan Sea.

By the time the man finished feeding the cat, the setting sun had already dipped below the hills of Enoshima, and the sky quickly darkened, the remaining fiery red hue eagerly turning into a deep purple, before darkness enveloped the sea.

It's evening...

Tsukasa Tazaki brushed the breadcrumbs off his hands and sucked up the milk from the carton.

They walked back to the dojo with light steps.

Behind him, the lighthouse on Enoshima shone faintly, its light mingling with the afterglow of the sunset.

Chapter 187 You Might as Well Think About the Cucumbers in the Refrigerator on a Summer Afternoon

7 PM.

Tsukasa Tazaki's small room.

He lay shirtless on the floor doing push-ups, sit-ups, and handstands—these were the only exercises he could do in the cramped space without any equipment. Although simple, the workout was intense enough, and if done diligently, it was effective.

Books and study materials lay open side by side on the table, with music playing on a phone beside them. His movements were fluid and confident, in sync with the music's rhythm; a fine layer of sweat quickly appeared on his chest and shoulders, gleaming white under the lamplight.

Training ended at 7:40.

The phone had just finished playing a song when it switched to a dance track.

Maria Bona

Tsukasa Tazaki looked at himself in the mirror and did a Latin dance.

The person in the mirror, expressionless, shirtless, twists their shoulders and arms in a seductive pose. They are entertaining themselves, simply enjoying the music and themselves, as if they are not being watched, as if they don't care about anyone.

Kuriyama Sakura leaned against the doorway, inwardly commenting to herself—both flamboyant and lonely.

Looking at his appearance alone, it's hard to imagine how someone can be so handsome, and he exudes an elusive sexiness that seems to seep from his very bones. He's incredibly alluring, but it's more than just alluring; it's an irrational charm.

Unreasonable.

Such a person is unreasonable; he will suddenly appear in everyone's life and then quickly disappear without a trace.

But you will still love him.

The music stopped, and Tsukasa Tazaki put away his phone, turned around and greeted her: "You're here."

"It stinks..." Kuriyama Sakura pinched her nose, looking at the sweat stains on his body with disgust: "Go take a shower."

Tsukasa Tazaki really wanted to ask, "What can you smell from that far away?"

However, given that the minister was so embarrassed by peeping at him that her cheeks turned bright red, he had no choice but to obediently go take a shower and let her calm down by herself.

"Whoo~"

Kuriyama Sakura took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

After thinking for a moment, she returned to Shimamoto Kana's room to get a bottle of wine and two glasses, and then slipped out of the dojo to pick a bunch of gladiolus.

Summer flowers wither quickly, but if you don't put any flowers in at all, it will lack vitality... So let's use some gladiolus, which can bloom for a longer time.

After arranging calamus in a white glazed water jug, Kuriyama Sakura moved the table to the window, poured two glasses of wine, and casually flipped through a Kamakura travel magazine to pass the time.

After taking a shower, Tsukasa Tazaki returned to his room wearing a loose bathrobe.

The beautiful minister sat on a chair by the window, her legs crossed gracefully.

The window was open, but due to the lack of wind, the curtains and magazine pages remained motionless. Her cool gaze fell on the travel magazine spread out on the table; to Tazaki, she was the most beautiful landscape photograph in the magazine. Indeed, she seemed to be constantly surrounded by an aura that was out of place with the real world, a strange, detached quality unlike anyone Tazaki had ever met.

Hearing footsteps, Kuriyama Sakura slightly raised her face, a faint smile playing on her lips, causing the air to tremble slightly. Then she raised her slender fingers about 5 centimeters, gesturing for him to sit in the chair opposite her.

Tsukasa Tazaki sat down, looked at the wine and flowers on the table, and said, "How about we light a few more candles? That would make it more romantic."

She replied lazily, "I don't like it."

"wack!"

"Each each other."

Sakura Kuriyama tilted her head, the leaves of the zelkova tree outside the window a vibrant green. The dense, layered leaves cast shadows on her hair. Her long neck and above were entirely reflected in the shadows of the leaves.

Her slender, graceful neck reminded Tazaki of her figure as she served tea in a light blue kimono. He could almost see her again, surrounded by small white cranes fluttering in the fragrant steam of tea.

The elegant and beautiful girl hunched her slender shoulders, leaned forward slightly, and said to the boy who was smitten, "Master, please enjoy Sakura and the tea she brewed herself." A hazy feeling welled up from the bottom of the girl's heart, making her expression even more shy, and her fair neck was tinged with the fiery red of the maple leaves at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in autumn.

The above scene is a fantasy that Tsukasa Tazaki sketched out in his mind in half a second.

To put it nicely, it's called artistic creation.

To put it bluntly, it's called wishful thinking.

Kuriyama Sakura kept staring at him. The summer night breeze rushed in through the open window, making her shoulder-length hair sway like blades of grass.

Tazaki Tsukasa stopped daydreaming and shifted his gaze slightly to the irises on the table: "I remember that on President Hoshino's birthday last time, the obi on your kimono was also embroidered with irises."

"You remember it quite clearly."

"It's beautiful, so of course it left a deep impression."

"Boring." Kuriyama Sakura chuckled indifferently.

That smile permeated the romantic little room, giving off an intimate vibe, as if saying to him, "If you can, please say these words more often. I really like them, even if you say them for a week."

Time slipped away quietly, the gentle sea breeze occasionally rustling the oak leaves, the moon rising over the sea, and the pale moonlight, like water, crept onto the tabletop.

Kuriyama Sakura quietly reached out, picked up the wine on the table, and took a small sip. The refreshing taste lingered in her mouth for a few seconds before quickly evaporating like summer morning dew. Then she looked up at Tazaki Tsukasa: "Not going to have a sip? I'm about to start asking questions."

Tazaki Tsukasa picked up his wine glass, mimicked her gesture, took a sip of wine, and swallowed it deep into his throat.

The alcohol content is relatively low, which is perfect for both of us, who have very low alcohol tolerance.

Kuriyama Sakura's gaze fell on his cheek: "How do you explain the matter with Shimamoto-sensei?"

The gaze was so sharp that Tsukasa Tazaki instinctively held his breath.

The wine glass remained pressed against his lips, and due to the light, his eyes momentarily appeared to be tinged with the deep purple of wine. Kuriyama Sakura noticed that the relaxed and cheerful expression he usually wore when facing her was subtly fading from his face.

She turned her head slightly to look out the window: "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask you."

Amidst the thick clouds, a hazy moon appeared and disappeared.

The minister's expression grew increasingly cold. But only by looking beyond the surface could one discern more details about her: her long, thick eyelashes and double eyelids, and the... anger at her lack of ambition in her deep eyes.

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it..."

Tsukasa Tazaki put down his glass and pursed his lips: "Before answering, I want to clarify one thing: the person I like the most and the only person I want to marry has always been Hanami-nee."

Kuriyama Sakura chuckled, "How romantic."

“Really!” Tsukasa Tazaki said earnestly.

"I know," she replied.

"You'd better believe me!"

"What a magnificent declaration!" Kuriyama Sakura turned to look at him and snapped her fingers. "It's like the new US president taking an oath before the Bible, solemn and dignified, with countless cameras and microphones pointed at you. At this moment, you announce to the world, 'I want to marry Hanami-nee.' People are convinced that you will do it, and they are incredibly moved! Maybe you can even win the Nobel Peace Prize for this, right?"

Tsukasa Tazaki rested his chin on his hand: "Are the conditions for winning the Nobel Peace Prize really this cheap?"

“No, no, no, it’s because you’re great enough!” Kuriyama Sakura picked up her glass and took a big gulp of her drink, then slammed it down. “You’re in love with several women, yet you’re still determined to marry only one person. Isn’t that great enough? If this gets out, the whole world will be moved and cheers will be deafening. The dark clouds will disperse and the sun will shine brightly.”

“That makes sense!” After a moment of contemplation, Tsukasa Tazaki asked her, “When you receive the Nobel Prize, shouldn’t you wear a smart suit?”

"Go ahead and buy it, Hanami-nee's family isn't short of money anyway!"

"Will someone shoot at me during the awards ceremony?"