My love index is at its maximum.

“Happy, playful…” Tsukasa Tazaki paused, then smiled and continued, “My heart moves with you.”

"Oh, I'm so happy." Kurisu couldn't help but chuckle, tilting her head and pressing her cheek against her palm: "How about you marry your aunt after you graduate from high school? Really, your aunt doesn't mind that you're twenty years younger."

"Your daughter will be jealous."

"My aunt is still single, how could she possibly have a daughter!"

"Uh...whose family does that blonde girl next to you belong to?"

“My aunt doesn’t know you either.” Kurisu turned around and looked over, and said very seriously, “Whose child are you? It’s so late, go home and sleep. Don’t disturb us two while we’re having our romance.”

Sichuan Yui: "..."

Honestly, if this wasn't her biological mother, the Golden Retriever would have jumped out and punched her in the head.

Tazaki Tsukasa looked at Kikawa Yui with amusement: "I also think that your aunt is obviously more charming than you. So why don't you go back to sleep first and not disturb our conversation?"

"Did you hear that!" Kurisu Kawakami laughed happily, her fingers gently stroking the smooth skin of her face. "I still look so young, with a great figure and tender skin. What do you have to offer to compete with me for Xiao Si?"

Sichuan Yui: "..."

Without a word, she walked into the rain, grabbed Tsukasa Tazaki's arm, and looked at her mother defiantly: "He's mine!"

“Auntie, look,” Tsukasa Tazaki shrugged slightly, “I told you she was jealous.”

“A little girl who can’t do anything but get jealous is completely useless.” Kurisu smiled gently and winked at Tsukasa Tazaki: “Unlike your aunt, who knows how to be considerate. Even if you stay overnight at another woman’s house and don’t come back until the next day, she won’t get angry with you.”

Tsukasa Tazaki nodded: "I think so too."

"Tazaki Tsukasa!" Yui Kikawa gripped his arm tightly with her fingertips and took a deep breath: "You have to be on my side at a time like this!"

A faint hint of resentment and grievance lingered in his blue pupils, wet with rain.

"It's fine if we're outside."

"But here, in this house... you must stand by my side unconditionally!"

Hearing her voice trembling with tears, Tsukasa Tazaki had no choice but to change his tune: "I'm sorry, I misspoke earlier. Compared to Auntie, I still think Yui is better. Her blonde hair, blue eyes, and slim waist are just too perfect!"

That's more like it... Like a deflated tennis ball, Yui Kisakawa lazily leaned her body against him.

Kurisu yawned gracefully: "It would have been better if you had done this earlier. I'm sleepy, I'm going back to my room to rest."

"Hey, wait a minute," Tsukasa Tazaki called out to her. "I have something to ask you..."

“She’s in the courtyard where you used to live.” Kurisu turned around and said as she walked out, “Go see her first, so you can feel more at ease. After you see her, come back to your aunt’s. Remember not to stay up too long; I don’t want to stay up late, it’s too bad for my skin. Oh dear, I’m not young anymore…”

After she left, Tsukasa Tazaki walked up the corridor and headed in another direction.

Kikawa Yui gripped his arm tightly: "I didn't expect the head of the family to lock Miss Tono in your courtyard."

"My woman..." Tsukasa Tazaki said lightly, even in the mood to joke, "If I don't keep her in my yard, who else would I keep her in yours?"

"Tsukasa Tazaki, what do you mean?!"

Are you really jealous?

"Yes, I'm jealous!"

"Kichikawa-kun has been honest with himself. My youth is over."

Walking along the cobblestone path in the courtyard, the two ventured out in the rain under the dim lamplight. Qichuan Yui rubbed her slightly reddened eyes and said, "I don't understand! Why can't you show me the same concern you show others?"

After saying this, the two arrived at a slightly dilapidated courtyard.

Through the rusty iron gate, you can see a woman wearing a hooded yellow plastic raincoat coming out of the house and carrying a small shovel into the small pond under the courtyard wall.

There used to be fish in the small pond, but they all died several years ago. The once clear, flowing water has turned into a stinking mess because the outlet is blocked by fallen leaves. Ignoring the stench and the parasites floating in the water, she used her hands to carefully remove the garbage blocking the outlet, bit by bit.

Tsukasa Tazaki stopped in his tracks, a gentle warmth welling up in his heart.

Because the lights were on, the colors of the scene in the yard were clearly visible. The ground was black, all the dead branches and fallen leaves had been swept clean, and the weeds had been trimmed neatly. Miss Tono, wrapped entirely in a yellow rain cloak, looked like a yellow carnation blooming in the rain.

"Did you see that?" he asked the blonde girl, turning around.

Kikawa Yui bit her lower lip, her beautiful face, which remained expressionless, was mixed with an indescribable sense of frustration, making her appear somewhat lost.

“Sachiko is different from you,” Tsukasa Tazaki said. “She’s just an ordinary woman who wants to earn more money and open an artsy coffee shop. She didn’t do anything wrong, right? Why should she become a tool in the hands of the powerful?”

Yui Kikawa sniffed: "I don't know either..."

"I didn't name you specifically."

"You mean you guys..."

“That was just a figure of speech…” Tsukasa Tazaki smiled and hugged her. “I’m going in now, you should go back first.”

"...Don't stay too long!" Qi Chuanwei reluctantly let go of her hand, her usual cold expression gone, and muttered like a wronged little wife, "There are still important matters to discuss."

Tsukasa Tazaki raised his hand to check his watch: "It's exactly nine o'clock now, two hours should be about right."

"Clam?"

The blonde girl stared incredulously, a blush rising to her cheeks: "Two hours? That's amazing..."

Tsukasa Tazaki thought she might have misunderstood.

But at this point, I was too lazy to correct her unhealthy thoughts, so I reached out and pushed open the rusty iron gate.

"Creak" sound.

Sachiko Tono looked up and looked outside.

The dim light illuminated the light drizzle. The iron gate slowly opened, and the boy strolled in. His chest was clearly visible beneath his wet shirt.

He went straight to the pool, stretched out his hand, and asked, "How much does a gardener cost per day?"

“…It’s free.” Sachiko Tono, who had unconsciously stopped breathing, stretched out her hand blankly.

Tsukasa Tazaki pulled her to the shore and naturally reached out to put his arm around her waist.

"Hey? No way!"

Sachiko Tono whispered a protest, her head bowed as she awkwardly tried to back away: "Stinky..."

"Then I'm off."

"Hey? No way!"

"To stay or to leave..." Tsukasa Tazaki scratched his cheek in distress, "You have to give me an answer, right?"

Sachiko Tono suddenly looked up and stared directly at him. The face she had been longing for, the affectionate and playful smile, the clear and captivating eyes; the drizzle reflected in the thin lamplight seemed to flutter like shimmering powder.

I'm so worried about you... Waaah~

Her heart, which had been filled with fear for several days, was suddenly eroded and riddled with holes. Tono Sachiko threw herself into Tazaki Tsukasa's arms, clutching his collar tightly with her small hands and bursting into tears.

Chapter 118 Sachiko Tono begins to enjoy her meal

"Were you very scared during this time?"

“No,” Sachiko Tono sniffled softly, her voice choked with emotion, “I was just very worried. They said someone wanted to use me against you, and told me to hide here and wait for you to come back…”

"Aren't you really scared?" Tsukasa Tazaki gently stroked the back of her head.

"I'm a little scared," Sachiko Tono said, blushing. "I'm afraid I won't know what to do next, since I've lost everything overnight."

"I'm here too."

"Hmm~"

Facing his gentle gaze, Sachiko Tono felt a calmness she had never experienced before, and her voice softened into a coquettish tone. But she quickly snapped out of it and hurriedly pushed Tsukasa Tazaki away: "No, no, I need to take a shower first..."

They had barely separated a little when he pulled her back tightly.

"Ugh... I stink!" Sachiko Tono looked at him with a tearful expression, pleading, "Can I take a shower first?"

Tazaki Tsukasa had no choice but to let go of her, and the two went into the house together.

"I've tidied up the house perfectly, there are no cobwebs or anything!" As soon as she finished speaking, the landlady practically ran upstairs to the second floor, grabbed her clothes, and rushed into the bathroom to take a shower.

Tsukasa Tazaki looked left and right with great interest.

This house, which was quite familiar to him, now seems a little unfamiliar.

The lobby on the first floor was spotless. The hall had marble floors and high ceilings, and large porcelain vases were filled with fresh flowers. The curtains, which had faded from sun exposure, had been replaced with new ones, and the sofa covers, which had been covered in dirt, had been washed and put back on. There was also the smell of air freshener in the air, and every corner was refreshing.

I went into the storage room and looked inside. It was still piled with all sorts of odds and ends. There were everything from bathtubs and children's swim rings to baseball bats. The rust on the paint of the old children's bicycle had been scraped off, and the tires were inflated.

Tazaki Tsukasa imagined her tidying up the house in an apron and rubber gloves, and a smile crept onto his lips.

A gentle and virtuous older sister...that's really nice.

The small hall on the second floor was also completely renovated.

A glass coffee table, a small sofa, potted foliage plants, a brand-new stainless steel teapot, a beautiful set of celadon teaware... everything looks neat and tidy, without a single stain.

“Your aunt told me this is the house you live in.” Sachiko Tono came out of the bathroom, drying her hair as she said, “I haven’t been able to do anything here these past few days, so I just tidied it up for you inside and out.”

A loose white top, a deep blue long skirt, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail hanging in front of her chest—a very common, dangerous hairstyle for a married woman.

"How did you clean it up?"

"Where should I begin..." Sachiko Tono cleared her throat and sat on the sofa, rambling on about her life these past few days.

On her first day in the house, she wore a headscarf, apron, and a mask, cleaning up the dust and cobwebs everywhere. She replaced the damp and moldy tatami mats one by one with new ones. She wasn't in a rush to finish the work; when she got tired, she would sit on the veranda, drink a cup of tea, and gaze at the courtyard where he lived.

After tidying up the room inside and out, they started repairing the old furniture, and had someone help them take out and throw away the pieces that were no longer usable. Then they found a broom, bamboo handles, a winnowing basket, and scissors to pull out the weeds and trim the overgrown trees as needed.

“Actually, it wasn’t that hard work.” Sachiko Tono looked at him and said softly, “With just a little tidying up, the garden has become quite beautiful. I also plan to clean up the pond and plant some lotus flowers, so we can probably enjoy the flowers next summer.”

Tsukasa Tazaki sat down next to her.

Raindrops drifted from the eaves, and the air inside was warm and humid, filled with a stuffy, plant-like scent that blended with the smell of her shampoo.

“Tazaki-kun…” Sachiko Tono asked in a hoarse voice, “Do I look a lot older?”

Tsukasa Tazaki placed his hands on her shoulders, making her face him: "Let me see."

At this moment, the shop manager looked a little haggard, her face pale and delicate, like an autumn reed. But as she muttered about these trivial matters, she was breathtakingly beautiful and endearing.

Under his gaze, Sachiko Tono nervously placed her palms together on her thighs, then responded to him with her warm, bright black eyes.

"You're even more beautiful than before," Tsukasa Tazaki sincerely praised.

Sachiko Tono breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'm relieved."