My love index is at its maximum.

"What exactly did they say?"

"Let's confirm with him for another two days. If he really intends to return to the Qichuan family, there's nothing we can do about it..."

"I thought he was so capable, but he just knows how to find adults."

"After all, they're just high school students..."

"We all overestimated him."

"Yes."

……

The three lingered briefly in the jellyfish aquarium, taking a few photos. Then they walked through a long, dark tunnel to a well-lit specimen exhibition hall with marble floors. Through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, they could enjoy a panoramic view of Ikebukuro. While the view wasn't exactly breathtaking, it was certainly expansive, and the sofas for guests to relax on were quite comfortable.

Tsukasa Tazaki began to carefully observe the enormous object.

It resembles a withered little coconut tree, or a giant ear of corn, with a sign next to it that reads "Sperm Whale Genitalia" in large characters.

As he looked around, he marveled at the magnificence of nature and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

On the sofa in the exhibition hall, two beautiful young women sat upright like soldiers, one on each side, gazing at the clean and smooth marble floor.

"Do you have some kind of leverage over him?" Kuriyama Sakura asked.

"No."

"Why then?"

"He has two paths before him: one, accept the Kikawa family; two, accept me."

“He chose the third path,” Kuriyama Sakura said with absolute certainty, as if it were her own choice.

“You really do know him well.” Qichuan Yui turned her head and stared at her profile. “But it doesn’t matter, you’re not even a match for him anyway.”

“I don’t need that kind of identity.” Kuriyama Sakura shook her head gently, her hair rubbing against the sofa, making a soft rustling sound. “As a true confidant, I am already in an invincible position.”

"……hypocritical!"

Kuriyama Sakura turned her head and looked at her: "You're not convinced?"

"There's no need for me to be unconvinced by you." Qichuan Yui smiled indifferently. "My greatest strength is precisely your greatest weakness. I have enough courage to face my own heart and take concrete actions to fight for it, while you can only watch from the sidelines, just like you did just now!"

"Courage?" Kuriyama Sakura looked dazed for a moment, then quickly smiled. "There's a haunted house on the eighth floor. How about we go and see who has more courage?"

"Then let's have a competition." Qichuan Wei stood up, looking down at her: "Whoever shouts that they're scared goes straight home!"

His high-spirited declaration, tinged with a hint of battle spirit, revealed his absolute self-confidence.

Tsukasa Tazaki was completely baffled.

Why did the two beautiful girls suddenly agree to go to the haunted house while they were looking at whale genitals?

If it were Yui Kurikawa who said it, it would be understandable, since haunted houses are a must-do for couples. But why is Sakura Kuriyama joining in?

Are they planning to hunt someone down inside?

Tazaki Tsukasa glanced sideways at the aloof-looking department head.

Her face is beautiful, her waist is beautiful, her legs are beautiful, and her breasts are... The conclusion is that she is indeed a 100% beautiful girl, and even those who are about to die tragically under her knife will find her beautiful.

"What are you looking at?" Yui Kikawa said with dissatisfaction, clinging to Tsukasa Tazaki's arm and snuggling closer to him, her unique cologne scent filling his nostrils.

Tazaki Tsukasa had no choice but to look away from Kuriyama Sakura's legs and lead Kichikawa Yui to the entrance of the haunted house.

While waiting in line to enter, tourists, both men and women, kept running out of the entrance. Many girls were so frightened that their legs went weak and they had to be helped out by the staff.

Hearing the screams coming from the entrance, Yui Kichikawa rubbed her hands together.

I don't know if she was excited or nervous.

Tazaki Tsukasa glanced at Kuriyama Sakura, who was also looking at him. It was not advisable to stare into those stern and clear eyes for too long, otherwise he would feel awkward as if she could see right through him.

While waiting in line, many people secretly glanced over, hoping to find an opportunity to act as the beautiful girl's protector.

Even though there's a boy standing next to her, it doesn't matter. He's already holding the blonde girl's hand, so the other one can't possibly be his, right?

"Hello, Miss..." A young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old ran up to Kuriyama Sakura with a bouncy gait, just about to invite her to come along.

Kuriyama Sakura glanced sideways, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop to freezing point.

The other person was immediately deterred by that one look, and stood frozen in place, awkwardly but politely smiling.

Tazaki Tsukasa smiled helplessly and reached out to pull Kuriyama Sakura to his side.

Two beautiful girls stood close to him, one on his left and one on his right, creating a hollow area with a diameter of two meters where the three of them were.

Feeling the envious gazes of the men around him, Tazaki Tsukasa's vanity reached a point where it was about to explode.

"You really are protecting her!" Yui Kikawa hooked her arms around Tsukasa Tazaki's hands and tightened her grip, making his arms sink into a soft embrace.

“I would have protected you the same way if I were in your shoes,” Tsukasa Tazaki explained with a smile. “You two, who have no friends, would normally have no connection, but my arrival has brought you together. Why can’t you just be peaceful and treat each other as friends?”

“Completely bad at fitting in…” Kuriyama Sakura rested her hand on her chin, her eyes deep and captivating: “This is both a common weakness of the three of us and an advantage that allows us to distinguish ourselves from the masses and maintain our individuality.”

Yui Kichikawa nodded in agreement.

"No!" Tsukasa Tazaki said incisively, "The main reason we are different from the general public is that we are good-looking enough. If an ugly person dared to be so aloof, they would definitely be scolded so much that they wouldn't dare to leave the house."

The two girls glared at him simultaneously: "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

Just then, the group of tourists who were queuing began to enter.

"Let's go, let's go..." Tsukasa Tazaki chuckled and led the two into the haunted house.

Chapter 222 Today's Victory or Defeat: Tsukasa Tazaki is Completely Devastated.

As soon as you step into the haunted house, a chilling wind hits you, sending shivers down your spine. Eerie music drifts in the air, and from the dimly lit depths of the corridor, countless invisible hands seem to reach out and gently caress your exposed skin.

"Follow me!"

Qichuan Wei walked to the front, her steps showing no sign of panic, and she walked forward with her head down.

As I passed a room, a piercing telephone ring suddenly came from inside.

The three of them instinctively looked in. A television playing the news flickered a few times with static, and then the screen showed a dry well. A woman in white with disheveled hair crawled out of the screen on her hands and feet, twisting her waist like a snake as she crawled toward the three of them.

"Unprofessional!" Tsukasa Tazaki squatted down and criticized with great indignation, "You're supposed to use a chest-locking technique, you know? You climbed out so easily, it's not even close to the original position, do you have any professional ethics?"

The staff member subconsciously looked down at her helpless chest... Then, she raised her pale face, her eyes, hidden by her long hair, conveying an extremely resentful emotion.

What a disgrace!

Having played the ghost for so many years, she had never encountered such a difficult and tactful guest.

Are you looking for trouble?

Is this a matter of having large or small breasts?

Please respect other people's professions and stop discriminating against them based on their body shape!

Besides, there are so many versions of Sadako, why did you have to bring up the otaku-only version with the chest clip?

Kikawa Yui covered her face and quickened her pace to escape the scene, as if afraid of being recognized.

"Hurry up and leave..." Kuriyama Sakura kicked him.

Tazaki Tsukasa stood up, looking at the blonde's retreating figure with a puzzled expression: "Isn't she afraid to run ahead all by herself?"

"Being with you is even more terrifying."

Why is the minister with me?

"I'm just worried you'll get beaten up by the staff!"

"Are you still angry about what happened earlier?"

"I won't get angry," Kuriyama Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "I'll just be unhappy."

Tsukasa Tazaki scratched his cheek: "Is there a difference?"

"Of course. When I'm angry, I want to punch you, but when I'm unhappy, I just want to ignore you."

After saying that, Kuriyama Sakura took a step forward as if she really wanted to ignore him. But she had only taken two steps when a cabinet next to her opened with a "click" and a severed arm fell to the ground, the thick scarlet liquid staining a small patch of the floor.

The minister's whole body trembled.

Then... she lowered her head, backed away to Tazaki Tsukasa's side, and tightly gripped his sleeve with her small hands.

The fear of haunted houses lies in the unknown – even knowing it's fake, the thought of someone suddenly jumping out from some hidden corner in a gloomy environment can still leave you completely bewildered.

Kuriyama Sakura trembled slightly, her eyelashes fluttering, and she dared not look up at the road.

"If you're afraid of this kind of thing, then don't be so brave as to come in."

Tazaki Tsukasa's complaining voice reached my ears, and suddenly my right hand was grasped. It felt like being wrapped in a hot towel, greatly calming my tense emotions.

"I won't go in next time." Kuriyama Sakura smiled warmly.

With strained eyes, Tsukasa Tazaki followed Yui Kikawa's retreating figure and pulled her along as they continued walking.

In the dimly lit corridor, visibility was limited. The rooms, with their doors and windows open on both sides, were black and thick like jelly, cool and viscous, as if you would be sucked in if you reached out. The smells around you were a mix of musty clothes, rotting fruit, old newspapers, and the scent of wind blowing from an ancient abyss of demons.

Hmm... what's the last one?

Tazaki Tsukasa fully mobilized his artistic sensibilities, pondering what the wind from the abyss of demons should taste like, in order to counteract the tension of being in an unknown environment.

"Hurry up!" Kuriyama Sakura stared at her shoes and followed him step by step.

With their bodies pressed tightly together, Tazaki could faintly smell her body fragrance, a scent that sweetly soothed his slightly tense nerves.

The girl's small hands were warm and soft, and the two were joined together in the darkness.

Qichuan walked forward calmly, occasionally stopping at the edge of the corridor to wait for someone.

The haunted house wasn't very big; the entire experience took less than fifteen minutes. She walked alone for the first ten minutes. Although she occasionally encountered scenes that made her heart race, her strong personality, honed since childhood, allowed her to maintain a very good state of mind.

By the dim light from the corner of the corridor, I could see two people slowly walking out from a distance.

Kikawa Yui laughed smugly.

Kuriyama-san is so lame. From today onwards, the title of the most beautiful girl in Kitagawa Private Academy will belong to only me... Eh, what is this?

My heart skipped a beat.

A Japanese doll rolled to her feet, its pale, sinister face staring directly at her, eerily suffocating.