My love index is at its maximum.

Looking in the rearview mirror, he observed the smile on his daughter's face with a strange expression, and couldn't help but mutter to himself: Even if she didn't want him to know, she didn't need to call her mother a pig...

Twenty minutes passed quickly. The Toyota Corolla stopped in front of the hot spring inn. When Tsukasa Tazaki got out of the car, Shiori Ninomiya followed him out. The two moved to a street lamp and started chatting.

The surrounding area is full of residential buildings, and the outdoor air conditioner fan is whirring. When you pass by, a hot airflow hits you. The sound of a shower can be heard from the bathroom of a house on the left, and a figure can be vaguely reflected in the glass window.

With his hands in his pockets, Tsukasa Tazaki asked, "When are we going back to Tokyo?"

"Let's start school." Shiori Ninomiya hugged her thin arm, her smile undiminished. "Remember to think of me every day."

“Of course!” Tsukasa Tazaki assured him. “Other things are hard to say, but I can guarantee this about you.”

"absolute?"

"Absolutely, two thousand five hundred percent."

Shiori Ninomiya snapped her fingers: "I just wanted to hear Kiki say that."

The evening breeze gently swayed the overhead power lines, and the faint scent of her hair wafted to my nose. Surrounded by the rustling of leaves, the atmosphere hinted that summer was drawing to a close.

The cold, pale light of the streetlights shone on the two of them, and Tazaki Tsukasa suddenly realized that she looked a little older than when they first met.

This may just be his subjective feeling, after all, only four months have passed.

Why do we feel this way?

Seasons change... Tazaki Tsukasa thought to himself, it must be because it was spring when he met her, and now summer is almost over.

“kiki…”

"Ok?"

"I'm going to be away for so long, don't you, as my boyfriend, show any concern?"

Tsukasa Tazaki took his hand out of his pocket and scratched his cheek: "Have a safe trip?"

"You're so clumsy." Shiori Ninomiya chuckled and stuck out her tongue. "Hehehe~ Goodbye!"

"Wait, you haven't finished speaking."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"How about this?" Tsukasa Tazaki opened his arms and gently pulled her slender body into his embrace.

This was a hug without any ulterior motives.

It's just a warm moment filled with tenderness and reluctance, a moment that you'll remember long afterward.

Shiori Ninomiya looked up at him for a few seconds, then obediently pressed her face against his chest and closed her eyes. Her breathing was soft and peaceful, her nostrils twitching slightly, as if she had fallen asleep.

A gentle tenderness welled up within Tazaki Tsukasa, a quiet tenderness that spread like an endless drizzle falling across a vast ocean. His hands touched her slightly thin back, a strange sensation like fingers gently stroking the surface of his soul.

"Kiki..." Shiori Ninomiya opened her eyes slightly, "Have you been fantasizing about hugging Shiori-chan for a long time?"

"To be honest, I never thought about it before, or dared not think about it." Tazaki Tsukasa recalled his mental journey and said with emotion, "I was always afraid that I couldn't give you what you wanted, so I never thought about those things."

"Why do you dare to think about it now?"

"Because this cutie is just too lovable." Tsukasa Tazaki looked down at her head. "She sneaked into my room late at night and said she wanted to have a 'Platonic' relationship with me. Honestly, it was the bravest confession I've ever seen. It's hard not to be moved."

“I told you so…” Ninomiya Shiori tilted her head back and smiled proudly, “Shiori-chan will definitely win you over.”

"Wait, I haven't given up yet!"

"You're just putting up a last-ditch effort!"

As if making a definitive statement, Shiori Ninomiya tiptoed and carefully kissed him on the forehead: "See you when school starts."

Tsukasa Tazaki said, "I'm a little reluctant to let you go."

"Why don't you go and fight my dad?"

"Then forget it."

"Haha~" Ninomiya Shiori broke free from his embrace, turned around, got into the car, and slammed the door shut.

Tsukasa Tazaki watched the silver flower crown drive away until it disappeared around the corner of the street.

The evening breeze swirled overhead, and on his way back to the hot spring inn, he paused several times to look back, or let out a meaningless sigh.

It feels somewhat like a breakup.

Back at the hotel entrance, I was surprised to find Murakami Mizuiro chatting with Kikawa Yui on the sofa in the lobby.

"You two can actually sit together and chat? That's strange..." Tsukasa Tazaki bought a can of Coke from the vending machine, sat down on the other side of the sofa, pulled the tab on the can, and tried to glean some clues from the expressions of the two people while drinking.

Murakami Mizuiro's eyes are darting around; something's definitely wrong!

As for the golden retriever... well, without the stock price indicator, it's impossible to glean any information from that blank, hard drive-like face.

"I'm going back to my room first!" Murakami Mizuiro felt uneasy under her gaze and fled from the sofa as if escaping.

Tazaki Tsukasa drank his cola, feeling the carbon dioxide explode in his mouth, and glanced at Shigawa Yui: "Don't you hate him? Why are you sitting together chatting?"

“Disliking it is one thing,” said Yui Kichikawa, crossing her legs and expressionless. “Whether it’s useful or not is another matter entirely.”

"Uh, how can he help you?"

"Why do you care about me?" Qichuan Wei rested her finger on her beautifully curved chin and said to herself, "You were having so much fun with your older sister, and you just got back from being all lovey-dovey with your mistress, yet you still have the mind to care about me?"

"Hmm..." Tsukasa Tazaki leaned back comfortably on the sofa, "Why do I smell lemon in your tone?"

Yui Kisakawa snorted, clearly not wanting to continue the topic.

Tazaki Tsukasa thought for a moment and asked the question that had been bothering him for the past few days: "What was the purpose of what you said in front of the reporters? You should know me. I am someone who doesn't care about other people's opinions. External public opinion is completely ineffective against me."

Qichuan Wei yawned: "I'm sleepy, I'm going back to my room to sleep."

After saying that, she got up and left without looking back.

Strangely enough... After finishing his cola, Tsukasa Tazaki threw the aluminum can into the trash can. Returning to his room to interrogate Mizuiro, he discovered that Mizuiro had already packed his bags, left a note on the table, and fled the hotel that very night.

Tazaki-kun, I haven't done anything wrong to you!

Then why are you running?

Tazaki Tsukasa pinched his chin, thinking about how to get him to talk after they returned to Tokyo.

……

The next morning, the group arrived at Fukuoka Station and, after a series of hassles including waiting, using the restroom, taking photos, and buying souvenirs, boarded the Shinkansen back to Tokyo at 10:00 AM.

The atmosphere in the carriage was very lively. Everyone was chatting and laughing, and they kept taking out their trophies and certificates to take photos with each other. The sound of cameras clicking never stopped.

Takumi Takeuchi stood up with tears in his eyes and loudly summarized his journey in the national competition—he both participated and didn't participate!

This simple and precise conclusion drew rounds of applause. He then looked gratefully at Tsukasa Tazaki, raising his hands high: "The king will bear it, the king will allow it, the king will shoulder this world!"

The remaining boys joined in the shouting, and the entire carriage erupted in chaos. Passengers from adjacent carriages peered out, staring in bewilderment at the group of delusional high school students whose shameless chants nearly lifted the roof off the train.

help...

Can I travel through time again...?

Tazaki Tsukasa was so embarrassed that he wanted to break the window and escape. Kuriyama Sakura covered half of her face with a book and looked at him with sympathy, but in reality, she was already smiling from ear to ear.

“Tazaki-san,” she said in a low voice, “I recorded that scene, and I’ll bring it out from time to time for you to reminisce over the next two years.”

You're a devil... Tsukasa Tazaki closed his eyes and pretended to be dead.

Amidst an atmosphere of mixed emotions, the Shinkansen, carrying a group of young men and women who had returned home with their hearts full of joy, sped towards Tokyo.

Chapter 214 The situation is serious; panicking won't help.

I arrived back at Tokyo Station around 4 PM.

The group boarded the school bus that had been waiting outside the station and returned to the school gate, before going their separate ways home.

With his backpack on, Tsukasa Tazaki held a bamboo sword in his left hand—the one he used in the competition, a souvenir specially given to him by the Jade Dragon Flag Competition Organizing Committee.

Standing on the slope in front of the school gate, I looked up at the sky. It was overcast and there wasn't a breath of wind. The weather forecast said it would rain tonight, and a typhoon might pass through in a few days.

Kuriyama Sakura glanced at him from ahead and said, "Could you please walk a little faster?"

"I was just looking at the typhoon news on my phone." Tsukasa Tazaki quickly stepped forward and walked alongside the infinitely wonderful Minister.

"typhoon?"

"Yes, a super typhoon."

Kuriyama Sakura dismissed it, saying, "August and September are typhoon season in Japan every year, so what's so strange about that?"

“How could a pampered young lady like you understand!” Tazaki Tsukasa said critically. “The arrival of a super typhoon means that we ordinary people without servants to take care of us have to start stockpiling food and water in advance! In the past, whenever a super typhoon made landfall, all the ingredients in the supermarket except for chili peppers would be sold out.”

"That sounds interesting."

"This is no fun at all..."

"Just like squirrels storing pine nuts for the winter."

"That's enough of this." Tsukasa Tazaki took a half step back and said seriously, "I have nothing in common with a fairy like you who knows nothing of human suffering!"

Kuriyama Sakura tilted her head slightly, giving him a measured, gentle smile as she looked at him.

"You'll always stand with the people. You're only smiling like that. Don't even think about making me abandon my stance!"

"Oh?"

"At least five levels!"

"Fourth gear is enough!"

"From now on, I'll stay away from you." Tsukasa Tazaki stopped in his tracks.

Kuriyama Sakura turned to look at him and said confidently, "Don't be afraid of me, timid thoughts. I'm just a poet."

“Tagore, huh? Who’s afraid of who!” Tsukasa Tazaki stepped forward again and stood shoulder to shoulder with her: “When you flaunt the talents that God has given you, God will be ashamed.”

"...Where does this come from?" Kuriyama Sakura puffed out her cheeks angrily.

In her opinion, Tazaki-sama's words meant that it was shameless for him to show off his extensive knowledge. But that wasn't the reason she was angry. In any argument, there are winners and losers; her anger stemmed mainly from not knowing which of Tagore's works the quote came from!

"That's what Lu Xun said."

"Lu Xun?"

"Of course!"