My love index is at its maximum.

[Tazaki-kun, your room is so tidy! I don't even know where else I can tidy up. Please make it a little messy next time so I can help you clean up!]

The proprietress's handwriting shows the date as August 5, 2021.

Tazaki Tsukasa gently ran his fingers over the surface of the paper, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Although Sachiko isn't a great cook, she loves cleaning and tidying up. During my absence, the rented room was kept impeccably clean—the floors, sheets, pillowcases, towels—everything was spotless and full of color and life.

Where could she be?

Even if her life isn't in danger, the blow of losing all her possessions must be very painful for her; she probably won't be able to sleep or eat...

Tazaki Tsukasa left the restroom, eating a simple breakfast while pondering how to find the landlady as soon as possible.

More than the trouble of being targeted himself, he was worried about the boss's wife's physical and mental health. He needed to find her first, then deal with his adversaries more carefully!

After breakfast, I changed into my workout clothes and went out.

First, I used a public phone on the street to call the person in charge of Sakura's family in Kabukicho and asked him if I needed two people before I started my morning run.

At this early morning hour, the streets of Higashi-Shinjuku were deserted, shrouded in mist, with remnants of last night's rain still clinging to the asphalt. Crows, as always, perched on rooftops, their dark eyes scanning the streets.

The sky was divided into irregular shapes by power lines, and as summer drew to a close, the colors grew increasingly desolate.

Tsukasa Tazaki ran through the empty streets and waited at the traffic light at the intersection in front of Shinjuku Station.

The moment the light turned green, I channeled all the pent-up frustration deep inside into kinetic energy and sprinted. I ran past Hatomori Shrine, past Sendagaya, past Yoyogi Station, and raced along the Odawara Line railway.

The number of pedestrians along the way was unbelievably small, and the place was eerily quiet. In front of Yoyogi Park, two photographers were taking pictures with their cameras, framing the majestic Tokyo Tower in their viewfinders. Even the brightly lit iron tower stood silently.

After finishing my morning run at eight o'clock, I went swimming at the nearby community pool. The pool was not crowded on a weekday morning, so I could swim at my own pace.

Tsukasa Tazaki focused his attention, controlled his swimming strokes, and worked out the necessary muscles, such as those in his back, waist, and abdomen.

After leaving the pool, I walked along Omotesando to Aoyama Street and bought groceries at Kinokuniya Department Store. I bought a dozen cans of Coke, Brazilian coffee powder, two slices of salmon to make sandwiches, and some soy sauce and tofu.

There was a buy-one-get-one-free promotion on canned spinach at the mall, but he didn't even glance at it.

On his way home, Tsukasa Tazaki felt that someone was watching him from under the trees, in cars, and at street corners, but every time he looked in those places, the scene and the people he saw were completely normal.

The opponent is well prepared, and my every move is being watched. I have to find a way to strike from a place that is not his attention... Speaking of which, he asked me to deal with the young master of the Tokyo Bank. Should I just kill him and bury him or torture him to extract a confession?

Could this also be one of his traps...?

I got home at exactly eleven o'clock.

Tazaki Tsukasa took a nap, about an hour, a very deep sleep, the kind where consciousness was completely cut off. After waking up, he ironed a few shirts and prepared lunch.

I'll bake the salmon fillets in the oven, slice some crisp lettuce, toast some bread to make sandwiches, and also make potato salad and tofu and scallion miso soup.

At 14:05 PM, my phone rang—it was a call from the Minister.

"Are you alright?" she asked bluntly.

"Very good."

"What should we do now?"

"I'm getting ready to make lunch." Tsukasa Tazaki said, clipping his phone to his ear while chopping lettuce, "I'm slicing the lettuce and salmon as thin as A4 paper, and adding butter to make sandwiches. The butter sold at Kinokuniya is perfect for this. Judging by my skill level, I could probably sell them for 10,000 yen each at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Of course, there are times when I mess up, like burning the bread or the salmon not being fresh. But that's okay. As long as you set a goal and put in 100% effort, you'll eventually succeed!"

"foolish!"

“It tastes really good,” said Tsukasa Tazaki.

"Look at you!" Kuriyama Sakura sighed. "You need to grow up a bit more. You're 16, right? You're two months older than me. But in my eyes, you really are a bit silly."

Tsukasa Tazaki asked with a smile, "Do you want me to become mediocre?"

“I came to see you.” Kuriyama Sakura ignored his question and asked directly, “Are you free today?”

Tsukasa Tazaki thought for a moment and answered uncertainly, "I should be free."

"Open the door for me in twenty minutes."

"Hey, why don't you live in your nice villa? Why do you keep coming to my rented room to stay?"

"My house is empty, big and boring. Your place is much more interesting."

Where are Mom and Dad?

"I don't know, and I'm too lazy to think about it."

"Then come on over, as long as you don't mind," said Tsukasa Tazaki. "I've been wanting to see you anyway."

"Want to see me?"

"Yes, I have something else to discuss with you."

"Foolish!" Kuriyama Sakura muttered, then hung up the phone.

Twenty minutes later, Tsukasa Tazaki finished preparing lunch and arrived at the apartment building on time.

The two ate a sandwich that could sell for 1 yen and a potato salad together. While Tsukasa was washing the dishes, she boiled water and made coffee like a hostess, then lay on Tsukasa's bed, drinking coffee and reading.

Tsukasa Tazaki sat at his desk, mechanical pencil in hand, working on a math exam question from last year's University of Tokyo entrance exam.

The smooth flow of thought that came with solving the problem made his mind clear, allowing him to better consider what to do next. After finishing the test, he picked up the reference book beside him and checked his answers against the book.

The accuracy rate is very high. Roughly estimated, the deviation value is around 92. Candidates in this score range account for 0.003% of the total number of candidates.

Considering that they are only in first grade now, it shouldn't be a problem for the deviation value to reach 100 by the time they reach third grade.

Tazaki Tsukasa held the eraser in his hand, looked at the department head, and unconsciously rolled it between his index and middle fingers.

"Just say what it is." Kuriyama Sakura gripped the page, glanced up at him, then looked back at the book.

"I'm being watched right now, which makes it inconvenient for me to do anything."

"Beg me and I'll grant your request." The minister's tone was filled with the satisfaction of avenging a great wrong.

Tsukasa Tazaki tossed the eraser in his hand into the air and caught it steadily: "What do you want me to do?"

"You'll pay the price for constantly defying me." Kuriyama Sakura closed her eyes slightly and asked with a hint of satisfaction, "Was it fun scratching my chin?"

"Fun."

"I'm going to scratch you back."

Tsukasa Tazaki was stunned for a moment: "What?!"

"And she's wearing a maid outfit to tickle me!" Kuriyama Sakura said, her voice cheerful and clear, leaving no room for argument.

"...Let me check the exam papers first." Tsukasa Tazaki turned his gaze back to the exam papers.

Kuriyama Sakura stood up and paced around the room with a smug expression. She went to check on the plants on the balcony, taking out her phone to take pictures of the blue potato flowers. Then she went to her desk to flip through books, but couldn't find anything she liked.

She frowned and looked at Tsukasa Tazaki with a disdainful expression.

He sat serenely in the sunlight streaming in through the window, his figure like a white camellia blooming in a rough porcelain vase. His snow-white shirt made him look increasingly pleasant.

"I'm losing my patience." Kuriyama Sakura chuckled and kicked Tazaki Tsukasa's knee with her little foot. "If you don't agree soon, the club president is leaving."

"...I agree, but I have one condition!"

"Tell me about it. As a magnanimous minister, I will carefully consider the opinion of my only member."

"It is indeed very spacious..." Tazaki Tsukasa looked at her flat Kanto plains and smiled, "The last time you wore a maid outfit, things were in complete chaos, and I didn't have a chance to fully appreciate it. To make up for that, let's wear it together after things are settled!"

"...?" Kuriyama Sakura stared at him intently, her face turning cold: "I don't want to!"

"Then I don't want it either."

"That's it!"

"Minister," Tsukasa Tazaki asked her, "if I wear a maid outfit, I guarantee I can serve you comfortably. Don't you really want to try?"

Kuriyama Sakura's eyes widened: "Could it be that you..."

Perhaps unable to recall the right words or unhealthy images, her cheeks began to flush slightly.

Tsukasa Tazaki continued, "You really don't want to experience it?"

“…Fine.” Kuriyama Sakura succumbed to her curiosity once again. Staring at her adorably shaped toes, she muttered under her breath, “We’ll wear them together then, who’s afraid of who!”

The voice was weak, clearly indicating a lack of confidence, but also a stubborn refusal to back down.

Tazaki Tsukasa stretched contentedly.

The longer you spend time with Kuriyama Sakura, the more you realize her unique side. Especially the charm she exudes when she faces the world with arrogance but keeps her tenderness to herself—that's truly irresistible.

As the afternoon light gradually dimmed, the feeling of dusk began to permeate the room.

After the negotiation period ended, it was time to get down to business.

Tazaki Tsukasa wrote down a few names on a piece of paper and handed it to Kuriyama Sakura: "These are Sachiko's friends, some of whom were scammed in this fraud case, and others are convenience store employees. Have someone investigate secretly to see who Sachiko contacted before she disappeared and whether she left any clues."

"Why should I do these things..." Kuriyama Sakura reluctantly took the note.

“I’m being watched,” Tsukasa Tazaki explained. “The opponent is indeed very strong, but he can’t monitor everyone at the same time. As long as I sneak in and cut in from a corner he can’t notice, I can always find some clues.”

"Do I need you to teach me such principles?" Kuriyama Sakura raised her chin and said casually, "What I'm unhappy about is that you actually want me to help you find women!"

“We’re the closest of friends,” Tsukasa Tazaki replied. “And the point isn’t about women. If something happened to you, I would do everything in my power to save you.”

"Really?"

"Of course, even if it's a one-way trip, I would go without hesitation."

Kuriyama Sakura smiled slightly and said, "I'll be very angry if you don't come!"

The smile seemed like particles of light floating by the window, shimmering and dancing in the air. The sun had moved a little further west, and the light on the floor shifted accordingly, enveloping the two of them.

At 7 p.m., Tsukasa Tazaki left home.

Kuriyama Sakura stayed in the room, lay down on his bed, and closed her eyes to rest. It's unclear whether this symptom could be called Tazaki Tsukasa's scent dependency...

As the sun completely set, a flock of crows flew in from the west, skimming over the Odakyu Department Store, signaling the imminent start of Higashi Shinjuku's bustling nightlife. The neon signs of the karaoke bars across the street seemed to wink excitedly at passersby, who were mostly young people strolling leisurely in a line.

Tsukasa Tazaki walked into Shinjuku 3-chome alone.

Shinjuku, as the most bustling area in Tokyo, can be viewed in two parts: day and night.

During the day, Nishi-Shinjuku, as a business district, is always bustling with people. Scenes of office workers in suits rushing to work are common. Clusters of skyscrapers, some exceeding 200 meters in height, perfectly fit people's definition of a megacity.

As evening falls and West Shinjuku becomes deserted as office workers return home, East Shinjuku, represented by Kabukicho, comes alive. Department stores towering over ten stories high, dazzling restaurant signs, and bustling drugstores... all blatantly demonstrate what a highly developed capitalist society looks like.

With his hands in his pockets and a blank expression, Tsukasa Tazaki walked past the overwhelming neon lights. To avoid the endless stream of people, he slipped into a small alley lined with an izakaya and a bar.

Groups of young people smoking, glamorous women with flamboyant makeup, and bald men in suits; the clinking of wine glasses coming from inside the floor-to-ceiling windows, and fashionable and bizarre graffiti on the walls... This chaotic city that never sleeps seems to be brewing a chaotic atmosphere everywhere.