My love index is at its maximum.

The two were walking on a promenade. The asphalt path was not wide, and there were few pedestrians except for the occasional jogger.

On one side, tall sycamore trees grow, while on the other side, there is a whitewashed stone wall, a bamboo fence, and pine and cypress trees extending from the wall. Occasionally, a couple of people taking a walk pass by, and they seem to unconsciously lower their voices, as if afraid of breaking the tranquility.

In places like this, if you weren't so eager to see what the teachers are like, Tsukasa Tazaki could sit by the roadside all day with a book in hand.

Reaching the end of the path, the two stopped in front of a mansion with an antique feel and a design resembling a martial arts dojo. On either side of the gate, which was as large as the gate of Kitagawa Academy, stood two rows of bald, tall men in suits; one could tell at a glance that they were no pushovers.

but……

Tazaki Tsukasa stared at the plaque above the gate that read "Sakura's Family" for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what the mansion in front of him was for.

"Let's go," Hoshino Hanami waved, "Let's go inside."

"Go in? Didn't we say we were going to the teacher's house?"

"Oh, this is the teacher's house. The front yard is the dojo, and the back yard is where the teacher lives."

"So, the teacher's family used to run a Taoist temple."

"You could call it a dojo, I guess..." Hoshino Hanami walked towards the door, answering calmly, "In addition, we also have some food and beverage service businesses and real estate operations..."

As she entered, two bald, burly men who looked like guards bowed and greeted her: "Greetings, Miss."

Hoshino Hanami nodded casually and asked, "What time did Shikami leave?"

"The second young lady left home at 8:15 this morning."

"Okay, when she comes back, have her come to me."

Upon entering the gate, you are greeted by a courtyard shrouded in lush greenery.

Walking on the cobblestone path that resembled a country lane, Tsukasa Tazaki asked, "Shikami? Is she the teacher's younger sister?"

"correct."

"The older sister's name is Hanami, and the younger sister's name is Sikami. Both are so elegant and beautiful."

Hoshino Hanami suddenly stared at his face: "You know Hanamikoji Street in Kyoto, right?"

“I’ve heard of it,” Tsukasa Tazaki nodded, adding, “but I don’t know much about it.”

Hoshino Hanami's lips suddenly parted into a slight smile.

Her smile was so perfect, so captivating; I really wanted to possess her.

"The teacher is from Kyoto, grew up in Kyoto, and her name is taken from Hanamikoji Street."

The two walked along the stone path in the courtyard, with flower beds enclosed by wooden fences on both sides. Every now and then, they passed a tall, lush oak tree that shielded them from the early summer sun.

“My family used to be very poor. In order to give my mother, who has a huge appetite, and me a better life, my father brought our family to Tokyo to make a living. We started by selling seafood at the local market and have worked our way up to where we are now. When my younger sister was born, my mother missed the deer in Kyoto so much that she named her Shikami (鹿見).

"My father-in-law is amazing!"

"What are you yelling about?" Hoshino Hanami tapped his head and said irritably, "You? Maybe I'll consider it if I'm still not married in ten years."

The way the two interacted at this moment was quite natural, without any sense of constraint between teacher and student. Rather than calling her a teacher, it would be more appropriate to describe her as a friendly older sister next door.

Of course, she's the slightly violent older sister next door.

The two walked and talked as they left the courtyard. In front of them was a large square, next to which was a rather large indoor training ground.

"Come on, let's see the perks I've prepared for you." Hoshino Hanami waved and walked up the steps of the training ground.

Tazaki Tsukasa's face stiffened. Hearing the sounds of bamboo swords clashing and men shouting coming from inside, he felt as if he had been deceived.

Bullshit!

What I want is the allure of a teacher's instruction, not fencing with a bunch of grown men!

Upon entering the training ground, I saw about twenty or thirty people practicing in pairs with bamboo swords. Standing outside the training ground were two people who seemed to be supervising the practice. One was a middle-aged man of about fifty years old with a serious expression, and the other was about twenty-five years old, with a handsome and refined appearance.

Thanks to the passive skill left behind by the original owner, Tsukasa Tazaki noticed that the pretty boy's gaze towards him carried a hint of contempt and mockery.

“Come here…” Hoshino Hanami led Tazaki Tsukasa to the middle-aged man and nodded slightly: “This is my student, Tazaki Tsukasa. I brought him here to practice.”

Then, she turned to Tsukasa Tazaki and introduced him, saying, "This is my father."

"Hello, Uncle." Tazaki Tsukasa bowed slightly in greeting. When he looked up, he saw his face and compared it to his teacher's face, which looked nothing like his. He vaguely came to a conclusion in his mind: Mom must be as beautiful as an angel.

“Your student?” Hoshino Takeo frowned, feeling a lump in his throat. He put his hands behind his back and looked at Tazaki Tsukasa: “My daughter is your teacher, so theoretically she’s a generation older than you. It’s inappropriate for you to call me uncle.”

He emphasized the words "the older generation" very heavily, as if he was deliberately stressing it out.

The pretty boy glared at Tazaki Tsukasa with disdain, then nodded, feigning superiority.

Tsukasa Tazaki hesitated for a moment: "Well... how are you, Father-in-law?"

There was a loud thud behind me; I didn't know who had fallen.

In an instant, all the burly men who were sparring stopped, and the arena fell silent. Their expressions were incredibly varied: some were astonished, some were incredulous, and some found it absurd.

Hoshino Takeo's mouth was agape for a long time, while the pretty boy frowned and stared wide-eyed. Even Hoshino Hanami herself was bewildered. Although the two had said the same thing while joking earlier, she hadn't taken it to heart.

But saying it in private and saying it in front of your father are completely different things.

Moreover… Hoshino Hanami looked at her father’s expression, which went from astonishment to disbelief, and now to complete acceptance, and thought to herself: Oh no, I have to get Tazaki Tsukasa away quickly and explain all this to him!

After a moment of silence, a murmur arose from the crowd.

"Is this the young lady's boyfriend?"

"Very likely. Didn't the young lady say herself last time that she only likes high school students who are fifteen or sixteen years old?"

"This kid is really good-looking; even I'm attracted to him."

"Didn't you say you were going to bring it back for the president's birthday? Why did you bring it back so soon?"

Hearing these words, Tsukasa Tazaki roughly understood the reason for the pretty boy's hostility. However, he didn't care. What interested him more was that Hoshino Hanami actually liked a fifteen or sixteen-year-old high school student.

Is it genuine liking, or just a facade?

He watched the anger rising in his teacher's eyes and began to consider the gains and losses brought about by those words.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Scene of Domestic Violence

"Shut up, all of you!"

Hoshino Hanami turned around and roared, her inner strength overflowing. With the authority she commanded with her fists, the twenty or so tall and burly men immediately lowered their eyes and became obedient little children.

Then, she glared at Tsukasa Tazaki with a hint of anger, "If you talk nonsense again, I'll hang you on the flagpole to sunbathe."

Tazaki Tsukasa shrank back and obediently said, "I will listen to whatever you say, teacher."

But in his heart he was thinking, how could he call his father-in-law something like that?

As for whether he would really anger the teacher, he wasn't too worried about that, since Hoshino Hanami wasn't too angry this time.

The fluctuations in stock price can reflect changes in favorability in real time. If what he says really makes her angry, Tsukasa Tazaki will definitely learn from this and never do it again.

“Keita…” Hoshino Hanami looked at the pretty boy, “Take my student to change his clothes.”

Keita Suzuki nodded and led Tsukasa Tazaki toward the changing room.

“Hoo…” Hoshino Hanami took a deep breath, looked at her father, and said seriously, “He is not.”

Hoshino Takeo scratched his head, somewhat bewildered: "Then who is he?"

"He is a student in my class."

"I wouldn't stoop so low as to harm my own students!"

“I’m telling you, Hanami… it’s not really good to make a move on someone else’s student.” Hoshino Takeo’s expression was serious. He considered it for a moment and said in a consultative tone, “Why don’t you consider the one I introduced to you last time? I think that young man is quite good. His family owns a bank.”

Hoshino Hanami shook her fist: "Dad, want to spar with me?"

Hoshino Takeo's eye twitched slightly, and without saying a word, he walked towards the door.

While trying to avoid the situation, he didn't forget to save face: "I suddenly remembered that we have guests visiting today. I'll go to the tea room to prepare tea first. You all go about your business and don't bother me."

The crowd watched him leave with pity.

There's a rumor circulating among Sakura's family.

In the family of three, the president ranks fourth in terms of family status.

First is the eldest young lady, second is the second young lady, and third is the Border Collie named "Navy" owned by the second young lady.

Sigh... They say middle-aged men are worse off than dogs, and this is a living example.

"And you guys..." Hoshino Hanami looked at the group of rough men, cracking her knuckles as she clenched her fists. "My student will come over every weekend to practice with you. He'll practice whatever you practice. But listen to me carefully: if any of you dare to say a word about me, you'd better think about what should be written on your tombstones!"

……

Tazaki Tsukasa followed Suzuki Keita, turned a corner, and arrived at a large bathtub.

"This is the bathhouse; one side is cold, and the other is hot."

"That's where you get a body scrub over."

"The little house is for showering."

The pretty boy introduced the situation with a cold expression, and Tsukasa Tazaki nodded occasionally. Once in the changing room, the pretty boy pulled out a set of unused white martial arts uniform and tossed it to him: "Don't waste my time, hurry up."

The martial arts uniform was too big and didn't fit properly; it looked like a bathrobe on him. Tsukasa Tazaki tightened the uniform with a black belt, and as he came out, Keita Suzuki shook his head and smiled.

"Haha, your figure is really weak."

Tazaki Tsukasa smiled noncommittally and walked towards the door.

"Hey……"

Keita Suzuki suddenly reached out and patted his shoulder, his face breaking into a friendly smile: "Just be a good student and don't have any dreams you shouldn't have."

"A dream?" Tsukasa Tazaki blinked, looking confused. "What kind of dream?"

"Let me be blunt..." Keita Suzuki spread his hands and smiled, "Sakura's family is very big, but there's no place for you in it. So go back to where you came from, understand?"

“I understand.” Tsukasa Tazaki nodded, then smiled at him: “This is my first time, I’ll remember it.”

Having said that, he turned and left.

Keita Suzuki stood there, scratching his head so hard he was practically falling out, still not understanding what he meant by "first time."

Back in the practice room, Tsukasa Tazaki looked around but didn't see Hanami Hoshino.

He wanted to ask someone, but before he could even speak, a group of grown men surrounded him.