My love index is at its maximum.

Page 192

Tazaki Tsukasa took a slow breath, got up, and sat cross-legged on the floor next to her chair.

The light cast a blurry silhouette of the two people, so close they seemed to be touching. Outside the window, the pure moonlight, waves, and cool breeze of Kamakura filled the air.

"Little princess~"

"Kuriyama-kun~"

"Your Majesty the Empress~"

Despite Tazaki Tsukasa's apologetic smile, Kuriyama Sakura remained unresponsive. She simply bent her knees, hugged them, and silently watched him.

Her small, stubborn chin remained at the same angle for a long time, making it hard to tell whether she had even heard what the boy was saying.

Tazaki's driver, Tomochi, changed the subject: "What kind of cat do you like?"

When her G-spot was touched, Kuriyama Sakura reacted instantly.

Looking at Tsukasa Tazaki, his pupils became clear and bright, like the surface of the sea reflecting a sky full of stars.

“I like most cats in the world…” she said calmly, then smiled and pursed her lips: “My favorite are long-haired cats, especially long-haired cats that take a nap in a sun-drenched corridor.”

Tsukasa Tazaki looked at her legs and asked, "Warm cat fur soaked up in the sunlight?"

The minister's toes curled slightly, stretching the ultra-thin black stockings to reveal the faint pink toenails underneath, making it particularly alluring.

"Yes, it smells really good."

Kuriyama Sakura, oblivious to his gaze, continued, "I like lying next to cats. Then I close my eyes, smell their scent, and it feels like I've become a part of the cat—that wonderful feeling."

"What's this strange feeling?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked.

She shook her head: "A very special feeling."

"Telepathy?" Tsukasa Tazaki wanted to say inspiration, but then felt it was different from inspiration. How should she express it? The strange thoughts of a literary girl can sometimes be both funny and exasperating.

“Yes, that kind of thing,” Kuriyama Sakura said quietly. “It’s hard to express this feeling accurately. What I felt was something ethereal, like another world, where all the creatures were cats. The Prime Minister, the doctor, and so on were all cats.”

Tsukasa Tazaki smiled and nodded: "Very interesting."

Kuriyama Sakura shrugged, her eyes regaining their coldness: "Fine, I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"I'm just asking you a question out of pure curiosity," Tsukasa Tazaki said, looking into her eyes. "I asked you this at noon, but you didn't answer me. You said you had nothing to do in Kamakura, so why didn't you go back to Tokyo?"

In the brief silence, Kuriyama Sakura glanced furtively at the wardrobe, then looked down at his face, a charming smile playing on her lips: "I'm playing with you."

"wonderful!"

Tsukasa Tazaki was not surprised by the answer at all.

Sitting down beside the girl, he spoke cheerfully, "Playing with me is like being in the Garden of Eden. We pick colorful tulips, groom the cat's soft fur, and when we're hungry, we climb trees to steal apples from the gods. We eat them while boating and playing in the forest river, leisurely passing the time before we have to take responsibility for society. It's absolutely wonderful, a romantic time without any flaws!"

Why doesn't Kiki say things like that to me?! Shiori Ninomiya's stock index fell 10 points; current stock price: 280.

Double standards, you're just being double-standard! Qichuan Stock Index drops 10 points, current stock price: 23

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

He was too busy pleasing the wife.

He didn't care about his mistress's and ex's feelings for a moment.

Seeing the awkward expression on his face, a fleeting smile crossed Kuriyama Sakura's eyes. Then she lowered her gaze and said in a low voice, "But I feel bad. I feel like I'm being unreasonable, bothering you, and causing you trouble. So, if you..."

Tsukasa Tazaki, forcing a smile, asked, "What if I..."

Kuriyama Sakura pursed her lips and looked at him: "How about I ask my dad to give you some money? Just consider it paying you to keep me company."

"What utter nonsense!"

"That way, at least I'll feel more at ease."

Tsukasa Tazaki hissed, "Shut up!"

“I understand why you’re not happy to take money from my dad.” Kuriyama Sakura shrank back in fear and said in a weak voice, “But don’t look at me like I’m going to do something vulgar or lewd.”

"I need to make this very clear to you!"

Tazaki Tsukasa took a deep breath and said with a hint of anger, "Under no circumstances have I ever thought of dating you for money. I've always considered you a personal friend. Maybe ten years, maybe twenty years, we'll stay in touch for a long time. I don't want to be introduced at your wedding by the emcee as 'this is the professional male wet nurse that the bride's father hired when she was 15.' That would make the guests laugh at me. I'd much rather be introduced as 'this is a friend the bride has known since she was 15.'"

"foolish!"

Kuriyama Sakura glared at him, her cheeks burning: "I don't want to have any wedding."

"Alright! I don't want to be in a noisy place like a wedding either, unless I'm the groom, it's a complete waste of time. But I was just using an analogy to express the point that friendship cannot be measured in money."

Kuriyama Sakura pondered for a moment, then smiled meaningfully: "Your words are very suitable for a loser to hear."

Tsukasa Tazaki's heart skipped a beat.

He did intend to say this to the "loser" in the closet, but why would the Empress suddenly bring it up?

Did she discover something?

Probably not... There's no movement in the closet, maybe it was just mentioned casually...

Tazaki Tsukasa reassured himself for a moment, then cleared his throat and said calmly, "Let me be serious with you. I only associate with you because I want to. If you want me to be with you, I'm happy to be with you. It doesn't matter what. But one thing needs to be made clear: I am me, and I am not subject to anyone."

Kuriyama Sakura rolled her eyes at him: "You want me to stop threatening you with 'telling on Hanami-nee,' right? Just say it directly, it's so stupid to make such chuunibyou statements."

"The little princess is so clever!"

Tazaki Tsukasa laughed; chatting with Kuriyama Sakura was always so interesting.

Kuriyama Sakura said irritably, "Don't call me little princess."

"why?"

"That sounds creepy, like you're some kind of weirdo."

"I feel quite familiar with it."

“Anyway, you’re not allowed to call me that anymore!” Kuriyama Sakura said, looking at her toenails. “My mom always calls me that, it’s so annoying, but she doesn’t realize it at all. She’s such a hopeless and boring woman, completely stupid.”

Just as Tsukasa Tazaki was about to ask a question, she put her index finger to her lips, conveying a "don't ask" signal with her eyes. So he changed the subject: "Boring gentlemen are everywhere, but a well-trained lecher like me is one in a million."

Kuriyama Sakura remained silent for 10 minutes.

The light gently enveloped her small body, making her snow-white skin glow, giving her an almost transparent beauty, a delicate beauty that seemed to vanish tomorrow.

A sense of unease hung in the air. Tazaki thought to herself, "She's really special. A beautiful girl who's aloof and cold, she can always see through the essence of things and discover many sensitive issues that others can't."

But she herself is a problem.

Growing up in the spotlight of a political family, it seems impossible for her to reconcile with her family and peers, which is a huge problem in itself.

Kuriyama Sakura leaned against the windowsill, the sea breeze blowing in and lifting her hair.

"Hey, Tsukasa Tazaki." She raised her gaze, staring at the wardrobe, and asked, "How long can your patience last for a strange and arrogant girl like me?"

“It can last a long time,” Tsukasa Tazaki said jokingly. “I’m a leg fetishist. As long as your legs are beautiful, I’ll be patient. You don’t have to do anything, just go to bed early and get up early every day, and live a beautiful life.”

"Why are you saying such kind words..."

Kuriyama Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache: "Do you always have to say things in such an indecent way?"

“It’s not that I’m being irresponsible,” Tsukasa Tazaki explained. “You know what kind of person I am. Once I start something I’m interested in, I won’t give up halfway through.”

"Wouldn't you say this is causing you trouble?" Kuriyama Sakura calmly looked at Tazaki Tsukasa, not surprised by his answer at all, so her voice was very relaxed, even with a hint of smugness.

Tsukasa Tazaki thought for a moment and replied, "It is a bit of a hassle, but you don't need to worry about it at all. Ultimately, I stay in the ATF club because I enjoy being with you, not for any purpose or obligation. As for why I enjoy being with you... well, I've thought more than once that if I were an ordinary fifteen-year-old boy, I would definitely fall in love with you without hesitation, in a crazy way, you know?"

Kuriyama Sakura shook her head: "I don't want to understand."

understood.

But I don't want to understand.

“You feel about the same way,” Tsukasa Tazaki said. “When I’m with you, that hazy feeling unique to young boys resurfaces from time to time. The sound of rain and the smell of wind become wonderfully indescribable.”

“I now fully understand what you have said.”

"Really?"

Kuriyama Sakura snorted, then said coldly, "Fake!"

A tacit understanding of arrogance!

Tazaki Tsukasa shifted his gaze from her legs to her face, a bright smile spreading across his face: "Our relationship is strange, it seems we get along better than anyone else. Maybe when we grow up, we'll secretly meet and sleep in a hot spring inn where no one will recognize us. We'll both be relaxed and happy, our hearts naturally connected. To be precise, this is a relationship that's more enjoyable than that of lovers."

Kuriyama Sakura slowly narrowed her eyes and gently touched his cheek with her palm.

My fingertips brushed against his earlobe; it was soft and smooth.

Immediately afterwards, she lowered her legs, bent down and leaned close to Tsukasa Tazaki's neck as if trying to remember what the taste was like, and took a deep breath through her nose with a hiss.

I was clearly prepared...

But I still felt a slight burning sensation in the corner of my eye, as if I had been struck through a painful spot.

Releasing her grip and straightening her back, Kuriyama Sakura leaned back in her chair, gazing at Tazaki Tsukasa from a distance as if she were several kilometers away: "Besides you and Hanami-nee, I have no one I can talk to."

Tazaki Tsukasa replied to her, clearly not happy at all, "It's an honor."

"I'm not lying to you, so when I'm not with the two of you, I can hardly say more than three sentences to anyone."

After saying that, Kuriyama Sakura suddenly stuck out her tongue playfully and made a face: "Too bad, you're too silly, a complete idiot."

foolish……

Is that an adjective she used to express affection?

Tsukasa Tazaki didn't say anything more.

The Minister has her own situation and her own feelings.

He can't possibly insert himself completely into it.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Kuriyama Sakura tapped the table: "Aren't you going to pour me a drink?"

Tazaki Tsukasa had no choice but to get up and pour her a small glass of wine.

Kuriyama Sakura, holding her wine glass, smiled gently: "What if we get drunk?"

"Then I'll sleep here."