My love index is at its maximum.

"coffee!"

"Understood." Tazaki Tsukasa looked back at the waitress. "Is the coffee hand-drip or distilled?"

"Both are available."

"Let's have the distilled food, we'll serve it after the meal. For dessert, some lemon shortbread will do, and also bring a jug of grape juice first."

The waitress took quite a while to write down the menu. After checking it once, she looked at Tsukasa Tazaki's face and smiled sweetly: "Please wait a moment, the cold dishes will be served soon."

As darkness fell outside, the restaurant turned on all its lights, creating a tranquil atmosphere accompanied by soft music.

Before long, the waiter brought out three cold seafood platters and a pot of grape juice.

The ingredients have a light and simple flavor, and are quite fresh. The oysters are curled up as if they were just pulled from the seabed, carrying the scent of the ocean that sustains them.

While peeling oysters from their shells with a fork, Ninomiya's father asked Tsukasa Tazaki, "I heard from Shiori that you two have started dating, right?"

The tone was quite calm, without any hint of sourness or displeasure.

"Yes, it's been more than ten days."

"Please take good care of Shiori in Tokyo, Tazaki-kun."

"Uncle, you can just call me Xiao Si."

Shiori Ninomiya sat next to Tsukasa Tazaki, watching the two talk with a smile. Every now and then, she would use a fork to put shrimp from the cold dish into her mouth, and the way her little lips slowly moved was very tempting.

"Nice to meet you..." Tsukasa Tazaki took out a small gift box and presented it with both hands: "Please accept this gift, Uncle."

The little cutie exclaimed in surprise, "Kiki even prepared this!"

"You just scolded me for being incompetent last time," Tsukasa Tazaki replied with a smile.

What came from here?

"The watch." Tsukasa Tazaki looked back at Ninomiya's father. "Uncle, take it apart and try it on. If it doesn't fit, then go and change the strap."

Ninomiya's father looked at his daughter hesitantly for a moment. The little cutie nodded, and he then unpacked the watch, put it on his wrist, and glanced at it. The strap fit perfectly; the green dial and silver strap made him like it more and more.

But a pang of guilt lingered in his heart, and he said hesitantly, "It looks quite expensive..."

"Not too expensive," Tsukasa Tazaki said with a smile.

It is indeed quite expensive in terms of price, but in terms of meaning, Tazaki believes that the folding fan he made by hand for President Hoshino is more valuable than ten Rolex Submariners.

“You should accept the gift from Kiki.” Shiori Ninomiya poked her head with her fingertip. “He’s already incredibly lucky to have such a cute girlfriend like Shiori-chan. One watch is far from enough.”

Ninomiya's father scratched his head and laughed heartily, "Alright, since it's a gift from Shiori's boyfriend, then Dad will accept it without worry."

Just like his daughter, he was straightforward and unpretentious... This was Tazaki Tsukasa's first impression of his future father-in-law.

After finishing the cold dishes, the waiter brought out steaks grilled to a slightly charred crust, as well as grilled abalone, which was served with sliced ​​limes.

Shiori Ninomiya began cutting the steak with a knife and fork, her technique a little clumsy, but the cuts were just the right size. She put it in her mouth, chewing slowly, savoring the explosion of fat in her mouth.

While eating, Tsukasa Tazaki chatted with Ninomiya's father.

He talked about his daily life in Tokyo and the funny things that happened at school. Every now and then, Ninomiya's father would ask a couple of detailed questions, such as what was going on with the blonde girl, or what was going on with his older sister... Tazaki Tsukasa cleverly used the 8-true-2-false theory to smooth things over, and the two men, one big and one small, had a very pleasant conversation.

Being an honest person doesn't necessarily mean never lying; white lies are an indispensable part of the world.

After chatting for a while, the main dish, macaroni, was served.

Tazaki Tsukasa took a sip of grape juice and continued the conversation from Ninomiya's father about "why he likes my daughter".

"When did you start liking Shiori-chan...?" He looked thoughtfully at Ninomiya Shiori. "Back in May, there was a time when I made you angry, and you told me not to talk to you during cooking class. Do you remember what we said in that cooking class?"

“I’ve said so much…” Shiori Ninomiya pressed her lips to her wine glass, staring intently at him. “The way I praised you was like painting a beautiful picture on a blank wall.”

"anything else?"

"We're both ordinary people, so we can become a couple at the elite school."

"What's next?"

You said that with my qualifications, I could find someone better.

"Yes, what was your answer?"

The little cutie tilted her head slightly, revealing an infectious and energetic smile: "I said at the time that I had seriously thought about my life and was living a very serious life. I also want you to understand one thing, Kiki: not every girl wants to be friends with a guy who drives a sports car."

Tsukasa Tazaki nodded and said with a smile, "I think I started to like Ninomiya-san, who has a cheerful personality and is not pretentious at all, back then."

Shiori Ninomiya continued smiling, turning to look at her father: "Dad, I really like him!"

"Uncle, please don't worry." Tazaki Tsuya looked at Ninomiya's father and said earnestly, "I will take good care of Shiori while she is studying in Tokyo."

"I don't think I objected to you two..." Ninomiya's father scratched his head and said blankly, "Why do you two make me feel like I'm planning to break you up?"

"Hahaha~"

Tsukasa Tazaki and Shiori Ninomiya both burst into loud laughter.

After finishing the pasta, the roast duck slices were served, and the sea bass would take a few more minutes to steam. The three of them drank grape juice and chatted about growing potatoes.

"By the way, I have a question." Tazaki Tsukasa cut up some duck meat and gave it to the little cutie before asking, "Does your uncle's farm use any machines, or is it all done by hand?"

“No machines were used; it was all done by hand.” Ninomiya’s father put a piece of duck meat with sauce into his mouth. “The town’s terrain is hilly, so machines can’t be placed on the ground.”

"No wonder Uncle is so strong."

“Xiao Si is not bad either.” Ninomiya’s father looked at his son’s increasingly muscular physique with a smile. “He’s a good seedling for growing potatoes.”

"No, no, no..." Tsukasa Tazaki quickly waved his hands, "I look okay, but I probably don't even have half the strength of you, Uncle."

“That’s true.” Ninomiya’s father was a little flattered. “Back in the day, I carried a full 100 kilograms of potatoes down the mountain by myself without even breaking a sweat.”

The little cutie rubbed her forehead in annoyance and muttered, "It's only a little over 200 meters of mountain path, but it took you a full 15 minutes to walk it."

"Ahem... Let's not talk about the past!"

"Hey Kiki, how are the potatoes you planted last time? They should be flowering by now!"

"I haven't been home for almost half a month, how would I know?"

A waitress pushed a food cart over with steamed sea bass, a pot of distilled coffee, and a plate of lemon pastries on it.

While the food was being served, Tazaki Tsukasa took out his phone and sent a message to the proprietress to say hello. When he saw the message history, he was a little surprised; the previous messages, sent on the 10th and 11th, were all unread.

Is the phone broken?

Or are you busy making money to open a coffee shop?

"Kiki..." Shiori Ninomiya suddenly asked, "What are your plans for the rest of summer vacation?"

Tsukasa Tazaki put away his phone and, while using his pointed chopsticks to cut the fish, said, "I'm catching up on my homework, watching movies and reading books at home, and occasionally going out for a stroll. What about Shiori? Is she going to work at the shrine during the summer vacation?"

"I'm going home."

"Hmm?" Tsukasa Tazaki frowned, stopping what he was doing. "Why do you suddenly want to go home?"

The little cutie pouted and stared at him silently with eyes that looked like they were about to cry.

Tazaki Tsukasa panicked and quickly looked up at Ninomiya's father: "What happened?"

“Nothing’s wrong.” Ninomiya’s father shook his head. “Her mother hasn’t seen her daughter for six months and is very anxious. She insists that she make time to go back home.”

"...That's good." Tazaki Tsukasa breathed a sigh of relief and turned to confront him. The little cutie had already put on a super energetic smile and was waiting for him. When their eyes met, she snapped her fingers coolly: "Kiki, are you in a hurry? Are you really going to miss Shiori-chan?"

With a cute smile playing on her lips, her delicate and pretty face radiated a vibrant and lively charm under the soft light, and the boy's figure was clearly reflected in her bright eyes.

Once again, Tsukasa Tazaki was captivated by her and nodded honestly, saying, "I can't bear to part with her."

"Yay!"

Shiori Ninomiya raises her hands high: "Shiori-chan is marching forward on the road to victory!"

"I'm tired of hearing that..." Tsukasa Tazaki put the cut fish into her bowl, then turned his face away as if he couldn't stand it, secretly laughing a few times.

Chapter 213 Before leaving, the little cutie wanted a hug.

The freshly steamed sea bass was incredibly delicious, and the lemon pastry was also wonderful—a perfect dessert. The distilled coffee was simply exceptional, rich, smooth, and lingering, with an aroma so enticing you could almost hold it in your palm and admire it.

After swiping his card, Tsukasa Tazaki signed his name on the bill with a ballpoint pen, and the three of them walked out of the restaurant together.

The sky was as black as spilled ink, with only faint stars twinkling in the distance. Tsukasa Tazaki tried to hail a taxi on the street, but was stopped by the little cutie in a commanding tone.

“Kiki has to ride with me in the Toyota truck that’s hauling fertilizer today!” she said.

Tsukasa Tazaki nodded: "No problem."

Arriving at the restaurant's parking lot, he saw the silver Toyota Corolla. It was quite old, the silver paint covered in mud, and a strong smell of urea hit him as soon as he opened the door.

“This is the only car we have at home…” Ninomiya’s father smiled helplessly. “Xiaosi, just bear with it. It’s only a 20-minute drive back to your place.”

“I can still tolerate this much.” Tsukasa Tazaki bent down and climbed into the back seat. Seeing Shiori Ninomiya’s suitcase on the other side of the seat, he asked curiously, “Is Shiori going back tonight?”

“That’s right.” Ninomiya’s father turned around from the driver’s seat and explained, “We’ll drive back tonight and be home before dark tomorrow.”

"Thank you for your hard work. Please be careful on the road."

“I’m an experienced driver, no need to worry about that.” Ninomiya’s father started the car with a click and drove it away from the parking lot.

His driving skills are indeed very good. He shifts gears accurately, accelerates smoothly, and can drive a very old Corolla very steadily and smoothly.

Shiori Ninomiya leaned against the car window, her hand supporting her cheek, her gaze fixed on Tsukasa Tazaki with a strange smile throughout the journey. Whenever a streetlamp flashed past the window, her clear, large eyes would sparkle, and the beautiful shape of her small lips would be reflected in the light.

This unabashed expression that tells you 'I like you' carries a powerful and breathtaking beauty.

This doesn't mean she had some great power to shake the other party; on the contrary, the power she exerted was very small and subtle, but this power was able to miraculously resonate in everyone's heart.

Despite being a hopeless older man enthusiast, Tsukasa Tazaki can't help but think that Shiori-chan is really cute.

He favors her.

I just want to favor her.

There are beautiful girls who are better than her, such as a certain blond-haired man and a certain minister. The former is the person he knows best, and the latter is the person he can talk to the most. Both of them have better looks, more talent, and wealthier family backgrounds, but they still cannot shake the special place in his heart for this little cutie.

"Shiori..." Tsukasa Tazaki shifted his position, preparing to whisper a few words to her.

He had barely moved when he bumped into a package. Picking it up, he saw it was a pack of syringes. "What's this for?" he asked curiously.

"Oh dear, it's for vaccinating pigs." Shiori Ninomiya gave another slightly neurotic smile and joked, "Let me tell you something funny. My dad was vaccinating a pig once, and when the pig struggled, he ended up injecting himself in the leg, haha..."

Ninomiya's father's hand on the steering wheel trembled slightly.