My love index is at its maximum.

[Father-in-law: This Black Dragon Group has been our family's biggest rival in Shinjuku and Shibuya for years. They'll do anything to make money—fraud, online gambling, arms smuggling, drugs, you name it.]

[Tazaki: I understand.]

[Father-in-law: Why did you suddenly ask that? Did you offend them?]

[Father-in-law: Even if you offend them, just bear with it. Those guys have no bottom line; the government will take care of them sooner or later!]

[Tazaki: I'll be careful.]

[Father-in-law: You've handled things calmly enough, so I won't nag. By the way, I watched your match live, you were super cool! Hurry home tomorrow, the whole club will be coming to celebrate with you!]

[Tazaki: I'll definitely go back when I have time.]

[Father-in-law: Even if you're busy, you have to come back for a few hours. I'll have Lu Jian send her sister away, and the two of us brothers will drink until we drop!]

While Tazaki Tsukasa was sending him a message, Kuriyama Sakura kept her head turned and staring at him. The streetlights outside the window formed a straight line, chasing after the car taillights; the interplay of light and shadow in the fleeting glimpses created an infinitely captivating beauty.

Whenever the old light fades and the new light comes into view, his face is illuminated, revealing his calm and composed demeanor.

The rain in Tokyo started to get heavier, and the air conditioner blasted cold air onto his face. Tsukasa Tazaki put away his phone, stretched his wrists, and then cracked his neck a few times.

Kuriyama suppressed the smile that had unconsciously crept onto his lips and calmly asked, "Is the shop manager very important to you?"

“Yes.” Tazaki Tsukasa gathered his thoughts and said to her, “When I first moved out of the Kikawa family’s house, I only had 4 yen on me, which wasn’t even enough for the key money for renting a place. Thanks to Sachiko-nee’s help, I was able to settle down in Tokyo.”

"Is it simply gratitude, or are there other factors involved?"

"I also have some feelings for her." Tazaki Tsukasa looked towards the exit of Sangenjaya and recalled the last time he went home with the proprietress. "I promised her that if she didn't plan to get married, I would take care of her in the future."

The taxi driver glanced at the boy strangely in the rearview mirror, turned the steering wheel, and drove the car off the Metropolitan Expressway into Sangenjayacho, Setagaya Ward.

When it was time to get off the bus, it was raining quite heavily. There was a loud pattering sound in my ears, and water droplets were splashing up everywhere on the ground. Colorful umbrellas were bustling around.

The two held up their umbrellas and tried to walk along the eaves, but their clothes and hair were quickly soaked by the rain that was blown by the wind.

After struggling with her thoughts for a long time, Kuriyama Sakura brushed the wet strands of hair from her forehead and asked, "Is the situation difficult?"

"The specific situation needs further investigation." Tazaki Tsukasa dodged a puddle and looked up at the rain. "Those people were members of the Black Dragon Group's yakuza. I heard from my father-in-law that they're involved in fraud. Sachiko-nee is currently focused on investments, so there's a possibility she might be scammed."

Entering the apartment building where Sachiko Tono lives, we arrived at her suite on the third floor.

The door was open.

Tazaki Tsukasa turned on the light, and the light from the ceiling illuminated the corners of the room at a suitable brightness. He stared at the scene before him, which looked as if it had just experienced an 8-magnitude earthquake, and fell into silence.

The few pieces of furniture were all upside down, the floor was a mess, food scraps were scattered everywhere, and there were broken bottles, jars and pieces of tableware all over the dining area. The refrigerator, with its door open, was empty.

Rainwater blew in through the wide-open windows, wetting the sofa and plush carpet, creating a rather desolate scene.

Tazaki Tsukasa moved to the bedroom door and looked inside. Clothes that hadn't been put away were piled up haphazardly in the corner like envelopes without a recipient.

"Someone's missing?" Kuriyama Sakura came to his side. "My family has connections in the Metropolitan Police Department; we can get them involved..."

Just as Tsukasa Tazaki was about to say yes, his phone vibrated and a message popped up.

Is the purpose of power not to express oneself, to expand one's power, or to resist tyranny?

We cannot know anything about the future, but we can speculate about its projections.

If you attempt to assert your self-expansion and resist tyranny, you will face merciless retribution.

Sweet dreams tonight!

Tazaki Tsukasa called the number back, but it was a dead number.

His tense expression gradually relaxed.

Kuriyama Sakura noticed the change in his expression and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Tsukasa Tazaki showed her the message: "Sachiko-nee is most likely to be fine."

His expression relaxed, but Kuriyama Sakura's expression tightened. She frowned and her tone was more tense than ever before: "The manager is just a pretext. Their real target is you."

"Minister, you're so clever. You guessed it right away."

Kuriyama Sakura looked at his face with annoyance: "You still have the mind to joke?"

"Let's ease the tension a bit," Tsukasa Tazaki chuckled wryly. "Let's go home for dinner, do you want to come along?"

"I can't stand you..."

Despite his reluctance, the minister obediently followed along.

The two took a taxi from Sangenjaya back to Higashi-Shinjuku.

The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping; cumulonimbus clouds of indistinct hues completely obscured the sky, and large drops of rain poured down from the clouds incessantly.

By the time I got back to Higashi-Shinjuku, it was already 8 p.m.

Tazaki Tsukasa's small rented room was exactly the same as before he went to Kamakura; the curtains covered the windows, and the pen holder and textbooks remained in their original positions.

Kuriyama Sakura took off her shoes and wet black stockings, stepping barefoot onto the dusty floor. On the only desk in the room were five pencils, each sharpened to a fine point, neatly arranged next to her math book, resembling a still life painting.

The notebook was spread out and filled with numbers. Kuriyama Sakura sat in the chair, silently looking around. The air was very quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock in the room.

Tsukasa Tazaki drank a few glasses of water and went into the kitchen to start making dinner.

I made fried sardines, potato salad, and tuna salad with wakame seaweed, and also made sesame-dressed lentils.

"It smells so good!" Kuriyama Sakura said, sniffing as she arrived at the kitchen door. "Your cooking skills seem to have improved a lot."

“Yes,” Tsukasa Tazaki said.

"Who exactly did you offend?"

"How could an ordinary high school student like me offend anyone?"

Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on the back of her hand, thought for a long time, and then lowered her voice: "The Kurigawa family!"

“…That’s an exaggeration!” Tsukasa Tazaki placed the food on the table and looked at the minister with a helpless expression. “That family probably doesn’t even care about me. In comparison, the other person who is hostile to me is more suspicious.”

"Who?"

"The son of the Bank of Tokyo, what's his name again, Higashino Yuichi?"

Kuriyama Sakura sat down at the dining table: "You still say you won't offend anyone?"

"I can't just hide when trouble comes."

"How did you offend them?"

Tsukasa Tazaki briefly explained the whole story, then shrugged and said, "It's just unfortunate, there are always some people in this world who think they are born superior."

Kuriyama Sakura, holding a piece of tuna, said, "Tsk tsk... So it's all about fighting over a woman."

"Hey, you've got the point wrong!"

What are you planning to do now?

"Wait for the second message." Tazaki Tsukasa weakly tilted his head back, slowly closed his eyes, and the lights went out from his sight as if they had been turned off.

If it were just the son of the president of the Bank of Tokyo, that would be fine. But if, as the minister said, it's the Kikawa family, then things would be truly troublesome.

That's an ancient family that has been passed down for over three hundred years...

Kuriyama Sakura wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, got up and went to the window to answer a phone call. A few minutes later, she returned to her chair and sat down: "The statements of those people have been recorded."

Tsukasa Tazaki opened his eyes: "Any clues?"

"Ms. Tono borrowed 6000 million yen from the Black Dragon Group on the 1st of this month, agreeing to repay 7500 million yen in 10 days. The loan was for investment. In addition, I learned from the Metropolitan Police Department that on the 8th, the department reported a fraud case involving a cryptocurrency trading platform that absconded with funds, defrauding thousands of people, including Ms. Tono. According to informants, the platform that absconded has connections with the Black Dragon Group, but there is no concrete evidence."

“Financial fraud…” Tazaki Tsukasa tapped his cheek lightly with his fingers. “They lend money with their left hand and run away with the money with their right. The victims are swindled out of their entire fortune and left with a mountain of debt. No wonder my father-in-law said that the Black Dragon Group has no bottom line.”

The phone on the table buzzed, indicating that a second message had arrived.

[The power of cabinet ministers is indeed useful, so don't use it a second time.]

You can use Sakura's family, provided you're prepared for them to disappear.

[Yuichi Higashino was involved.]

Once you've dealt with him, we'll begin the second phase of our conversation.

Tazaki Tsukasa stared at the message in silence for several minutes, his face terribly gloomy.

Being monitored by his opponents and threatened with Sachiko and Sakura's family was incredibly frustrating.

Kuriyama Sakura took the phone and glanced at it, a thoughtful expression on her face: "Two pieces of information for reference. First: The other party knows you very well, both in terms of interpersonal relationships and life experience. Second: The fact that the other party knew so quickly that I used my family's connections in the Metropolitan Police Department means that the other party also has connections in the Metropolitan Police Department."

She stopped there, simply crossing her legs and letting Tsukasa Tazaki think for himself.

At 9:35 p.m., time seemed to pass extremely slowly.

Tazaki Tsukasa remained almost motionless, sitting quietly in the same position as the food on the table grew cold and stopped steaming. Cars occasionally drove past on the overpass outside the window, the sound of water splashing up from the road surface echoing in the air.

At 11 p.m., Kuriyama Sakura left.

After taking a shower, Tsukasa Tazaki lay down on the bed.

The rain outside has lessened considerably; it's almost inaudible. If there weren't any raindrops dripping from the eaves, it would be impossible to tell whether it was raining at all.

Tazaki Tsukasa stared at the pitch-black ceiling, pondering whether this matter was related to the Kikawa family.

I vaguely recall Yui Kikawa's actions in Fukuoka and her seemingly joking threats. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but now, thinking back, I always feel like she was implying something.

Did she know?

Or was she involved?

After midnight, sleepiness overwhelmed me, my consciousness was gradually cut off, and I fell into a light sleep.

Chapter 215 Even the adorable and silly Shikami has her moments of help.

I woke up very early the next day, and all around was quiet.

In the soft morning light streaming through the curtains, Tsukasa Tazaki raised his arm and slowly opened his eyes. His wristwatch, reflecting the light onto his translucent arm, showed the time as 6:30 AM.

I brushed my teeth and washed my face with my eyes half-closed. My mind cleared up a bit, and I saw that I looked a little haggard in the mirror.

"Ah~"

Tsukasa Tazaki yawned and gently rubbed his temples with his fingers.

My sleep quality last night was very poor. I woke up several times during the night, and my sleep duration was short and restless, like dozing off on an airplane. Every time I woke up, I had to check my watch to confirm the time. The whole night felt like a car with loose axles, swaying and wobbling, with heavy steps.

When I looked away, I saw a heart-shaped note stuck below the mirror.