My love index is at its maximum.

There is plenty of furniture, just like a complete set of props in a TV series.

Hoshino Shikami, holding Kuriyama Sakura's arm, looked at room after room, choosing the one she liked.

Tazaki took out his phone, took a few photos, and sent them to the three older women, sincerely inviting them to move in with him.

【花见：不怕我生气起来，连带着你的情人一起揍？】

[Tazaki: ...I'm scared.]

[Hanami: Forget it, Sakura's family lives so comfortably, I can't move in. I can just stay for a few days when I have time. Besides, you're going to be the one marrying into the family, so once you move in, I'll only give you two days of free time per week.]

[Tazaki: This feels like being in prison.]

[Hanami: Marriage is a cage, Mr. Tazaki. If you don't want to jump in, you should say so now.]

[Tazaki: That's not true.]

[Tazaki: I love being bossed around by my older sister.]

[Hanami: Good girl.]

[Hanami: Also, you can earn the money to support your lover yourself, you're not allowed to use mine!]

[Tazaki: Received!]

Switch to the chat interface and reply to the landlady.

[Sachiko: It's great! The room is clean and tidy, and although the furniture isn't high-end, it feels very comfortable.]

[Tazaki: Is Sachiko-nee moving in with us?]

Sachiko: We're not moving.

[Tazaki: Why?]

[Sachiko: Your aunt wants me to stay in your old house.]

[Tazaki: ...Why did you agree to this?]

[Sachiko: I figured this was originally your place, so someone would always help clean and tidy it up, right? Besides, your aunt is very easy to get along with; it's quite pleasant to be with her.]

[Tazaki: ...She just wants you to stay there, so that every time I look for you, I have to go back to that house.]

[Sachiko: How would I know about these things in your wealthy families?]

[Sachiko: From my perspective as an ordinary woman, seeing Tazaki all alone is heartbreaking. Wouldn't it be better if I stayed where you lived as a child, so you could come home often? Your aunt is there, there are traces of your mother, and Yui is there too. Why abandon it?]

Tazaki: Okay.

[Sachiko: We've chosen the location for the coffee shop. It's on that downhill slope in front of your school. Do you have any suggestions for the interior design?]

[Tazaki: I'm just a part-time worker, what right do I have to object?]

[Sachiko: You still know you're just a part-time worker?]

[Sachiko: From now on, no unexcused absences, no ignoring the manager's orders, and no taking advantage of the manager!]

Tsukasa Tazaki read the message but didn't reply; he went off to flirt with another older woman.

[Shimamoto: It has a very homey atmosphere, like the home of a couple with children.]

[Tazaki: That's not what I want to hear!]

[Shimamoto: Tazaki-kun's thinking about the teacher all day long is so unhealthy.]

[Tazaki: Please have pity on me.]

[Tazaki: It's so lonely living alone in such a big house!]

[Shimamoto: That makes sense.]

[Shimamoto: But why not find another older woman?]

[Tazaki: ...Even Shimamoto-sensei is like this, I've lost all faith in life.]

[Shimamoto: I can't do anything with you.]

[Tazaki: Are you willing to come? 】

[Shimamoto: Send me the address.]

[Tazaki: Shimamoto-sensei is the gentlest woman in the world!!!]

[Shimamoto: To avoid your husband getting jealous, we need you to sleep in separate rooms, understand?]

[Tazaki: Okay, I understand!]

After sending the address, Tsukasa Tazaki held his phone and smiled happily.

Allocation of rooms?

No problem, I have a key to every room anyway.

"Tasaki~" Hoshino Shikami skipped over to his side and pointed to the room by the window on the first floor: "That room, Shikami wants it. Even though you only stay there a few days a month, you can't let anyone else in!"

“Okay.” Tsukasa Tazaki pointed to the next room and said, “My sister and I will sleep there.”

"Don't tell my sister I'm here!" Hoshino Shikami raised her little feet and pretended to kick her brother-in-law.

Tazaki Tsukasa pretended to be scared and stepped aside, then smiled and said, "It's okay, next time you make a mistake and hide here, I won't tell your sister."

"Eh?"

Hoshino Shikami subconsciously bit her hand and asked groggily, "How did you know that's what Shikami was thinking?"

"Haha~"

Tsukasa Tazaki didn't answer her, but turned and went up to the attic to find Sakura Kuriyama.

The second-floor ceiling is rather low, and the overall structure is a bit old, but the bedroom is very clean and tidy, and there's a small balcony outside the window, which feels quite nice. Sunlight streams in through the window, casting a parallel square pattern on the floor, much like that rental room in Higashi Shinjuku.

Kuriyama Sakura leaned against the balcony railing, looking out into the yard.

The warm sunlight enveloped her body, her cheeks were flushed red, and a layer of short downy hair shimmered at the edge of her thin earlobes.

"You chose this room?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked as he approached her.

“Yes.” Kuriyama Sakura had a faint smile on her lips.

"Why does it feel like you've been planning this for a long time?"

"Is there?"

Tell me the truth, when are you going to get a cat?

"It's still at the pet hospital. I'll bring it over after it gets vaccinated."

"You still say you haven't been planning this for a long time!" Tsukasa Tazaki looked at her helplessly. "What kind of cat? Let me make it clear first, no orange cats, especially not the one named Sardine!"

Kuriyama Sakura stared at him, both amused and exasperated: "What did Sardine do to offend you?"

"It actually brushed against your leg before I did! You must have a huge grudge against it!"

“Indeed unforgivable.” Kuriyama Sakura looked at him for a long time with her clear, aurora-like eyes before continuing, “A Maine Coon cat, a kind of cat I’ve wanted to own for a long time.”

“Oh, no wonder.” Tazaki Tsukasa nodded thoughtfully.

The Maine Coon is the largest cat breed in the world, with adults reaching over one meter in length. They have very long fur, a gentle and obedient temperament, and a very sweet meow.

"That cat is so big, it could be used as a cushion."

“The warmth of a cat’s fur from the sunshine is the most beautiful part of its life,” said Sakura Kuriyama.

"You've made me like cats a little." A picture popped into Tazaki Tsukasa's mind: Kuriyama catgirl with cat ears on her head and a long tail growing from her butt, lazily leaning on his shoulder like a cat sunbathing.

“My long-cherished wish can be fulfilled, Minister, you are very pleased.” Kuriyama Sakura grabbed her long ponytail and proudly said to Tazaki Tsukasa, “You are allowed to disrespect me and ask me a few personal questions.”

They've been suppressing their feelings for too long and just want to find a way to vent, but they keep making excuses...

But this minister is so cute!

"Will you come here to stay often?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked, looking up at the sky. Not a single white cloud could be seen; the sky was as blue as the sea, or like a canvas painted with blue.

“Occasionally,” Kuriyama Sakura said, “two or three days a week.”

"Your parents don't object?"

"They never interfere in my affairs."

"This relationship is just too awful," Tsukasa Tazaki turned to look at her pretty profile. "She's staying overnight at a male classmate's house, doesn't she even care?"

"What's the use of showing concern?" Kuriyama Sakura said, rubbing her temples. "Are you going to come back with me to meet my parents?"

"That's true." Tazaki Tsukasa shook his head helplessly. "Was your mother's death a big blow to you?"

"Not big."

"How could it take so long..."

"To be honest, I didn't feel sad at all during that time."

"is it?"

"Yes! Don't you think it's excessive and cruel?"

"There must be a reason why you're acting this way."

“I don’t feel anything at all. I’m not sad, not lonely, not in pain, and I don’t even miss her. It’s just that she often appears in my dreams, staring at me from the depths of darkness, and then scolding me… To be honest, I can’t even remember what reason she gave me for scolding me.”

Two crows, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, landed on the top of the power line, gazing at the two people on the balcony, the roof gleaming in the sunlight.

After thinking for a long time, Tsukasa Tazaki said, "I always feel like you'll suddenly disappear. Like a cat that climbs up a wall, jumps over without looking back, and then you can never find it again."

Kuriyama Sakura smiled lightly.

Those eyes were filled with a unique emotion, sparkling like a galaxy.

"Will this happen?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked anxiously.

"You care about me that much?"

"...Definitely."

Kuriyama Sakura's smile deepened: "People disappear all the time, what's so strange about that?"

"...For example?"

"Live to 25, then commit suicide."