My love index is at its maximum.

?

Murakami, who was about to watch the commotion, froze instantly, his face turning pale. He opened his mouth blankly, wanting to speak, but couldn't utter a word. He didn't know what to do with his mouth open, but doing nothing felt wrong, so in a daze, he put his thumb in his mouth and started biting it.

Tsukasa Tazaki comforted Murakami with a sympathetic look.

Then he covered his face with a book, his expression slightly distorted, and his shoulders shook as he laughed.

The class monitor continued writing, and the white lines gradually formed names.

Swordsman: Tang Ze Xinye

Hmm, really good, really good. Tang Ze is that big, muscular sports committee member. He does have a very muscular and tough vibe.

[The Magician: Yanagihara Kaoru]

Tsk tsk, this yaoi fangirl transforming into a perverted magician is surprisingly fitting.

[Pastor: Yuki Aizawa]

As for the class monitor, I don't know him, so I won't comment.

[The Dragon: Kenichiro Omiya]

Who is this?

As each name was mentioned, cheers and jeers erupted from every corner of the classroom, creating a lively atmosphere as if it were a real party.

"...Wait, this won't do!" Murakami Mizuiro suddenly stood up and questioned, "Why are you making me play the knight without my permission?"

The literature committee member's eyes, behind his glasses, flashed with an unusual light as he looked at him and said, "Because besides Tazaki, you're the most handsome in the class. We firmly believe you'll look great in a skirt."

"Thank you."

When someone complimented his good looks, Murakami Mizuiro's expression softened, and he continued, "Why not just choose Tazaki directly?"

"At first, we wanted to choose him," the class monitor explained on stage. "But Tazaki-kun didn't want to, and Hoshino-sensei said that we should respect personal wishes, so we chose you instead."

"I don't want to either!"

“Hoshino-sensei said that as Tazaki-kun’s best friend, you have to take on this role that no one wants to take on.”

"...?" Murakami Mizuiro's nose stung with tears, and she turned to look at Tazaki Tsukasa in a daze: "Why, why did you two gang up on me?"

Faced with his questioning, Tsukasa Tazaki's expression was very serious: "Do you know what happens when someone gets shot in the head?"

"Eh?"

"Come on, you watch."

Under the dumbfounded gaze of his best friend, Tazaki Shibi pointed a gun at his temple, made a "bang" sound, and then fell onto the table, pretending to be dead without moving.

Murakami Mizuro: "...?"

numb.

I will never love again.

Chapter 238 The Minister's Birthday

The school bell rang in the afternoon.

The classroom of Class F immediately erupted in excitement. The actors and costume team gathered to discuss the relevant details, the publicity team began to draft the poster design, and another group of people watched Murakami, who was preparing to try on the dress.

Tsukasa Tazaki packed his things and headed towards the ATF club.

The school festival executive committee's regular meeting is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Before that, he has an hour to go to the club to have some tea, read some books, and maybe even see the club president.

As soon as I stepped outside, a wild roar from an electric guitar came from the classroom next door, Class E. It must be a band that was practicing for a performance. I could also hear the drumbeats from the drum kit from time to time.

The main building was incredibly noisy, and the entrance to the orchestral section was packed with people, as if a concert was being held.

Walk to the entrance of the ATF department.

For some reason, even before I opened the door, I could already feel the chill emanating from inside.

Tsukasa Tazaki sighed softly.

Pushing open the door, as expected, Kuriyama Sakura was still reading, with sardines sleeping on her shoes. Outside the wide-open windows came the sounds of orchestral music, the noise of students, and the cooing of pigeons.

As if isolated from the world, the girl rested her chin on her hand on the table, while reality overflowed from all around her like water that could not be contained in a solid container—as sounds, smells, or images; as a carrier, as a need, as a response.

To avoid making any noise, Tsukasa Tazaki walked over in flat shoes, at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow.

Kuriyama Sakura frowned slightly, glancing at him like a herbivore wary of a predator in the forest, before turning her gaze back to the book in her hands, her heart sinking into an unknown abyss.

After a while, she warned in a low voice, "Tasaki-san, please take your lewd and obscene gaze away."

“I’m looking at cats!” Tsukasa Tazaki looked up from her legs, sat down opposite her, and glanced at the book title. “The Shadow Thief? So you actually read such a boring romance novel…”

“It’s really not very interesting, but…” Kuriyama Sakura looked up, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him, “Even if it’s boring, it can’t be more boring than being the young lady’s assistant, can it?”

"Being able to contribute to the preparation of the school festival will also give you a sense of collective honor to some extent."

"Does this count as lying?"

"...It's alright, although my main goal was to help Yui Kichikawa."

Kuriyama Sakura lost interest and turned her gaze back to the book: "Commoner."

"I'm also thinking of turning you into an ordinary person."

"Dream on." The minister, without taking his eyes off the book, simply replied with two words.

Meow~!

The chubby orange cat stretched out its paw and tugged at Tsukasa Tazaki's trouser leg, as if it were standing up for its department head.

Tazaki Tsukasa simply picked it up by the scruff of its neck.

"Meow~"

Three seconds later, the chubby orange cat squatted in the hallway, looking at the now-closed activity room door, and said in a pitiful voice, "Meow~"

Tazaki Tsukasa returned to his seat, opened his math materials, and Kuriyama Sakura squinted at him for a moment before continuing to read, without pursuing the matter of him bullying the cat.

The wall clock ticked on its own, the ticking of the second hand particularly jarring.

The activity room fell silent; even time seemed to freeze.

After writing on the paper with the ballpoint pen for a while, Tsukasa Tazaki paused, stretched his neck, and looked out the window. The bustling school path stretched all the way to the huge oak tree at the school gate.

A gust of wind blew by, rustling the leaves, and the perceived temperature dropped by about two degrees compared to when I first came in.

Tsukasa Tazaki turned his gaze back to the department head, who was staring blankly at him.

The motionless girl, like an old monk in deep meditation, was a scene I had watched countless times.

Does she even have a concept of time anymore?

Tazaki Tsukasa licked his lower lip and swallowed, suddenly thinking that if he were to use Dazai Osamu's words to describe the department head, it would be: "The passage of time is nothing more than repeating the same things day after day, following the same routines as yesterday. If one can avoid intense ecstasy, then naturally there will be no sorrow to come."

Ahem, Dazai Osamu's words are a bit too sentimental...

It should be described using a quote from Haruki Murakami's "After Dark".

She was burdened with various problems, unable to move forward, in need of help, and expressing those feelings through self-torture—this was more certain than any impression.

So what is her problem?

Tazaki Tsukasa got up, boiled water, made a cup of coffee with milk but no sugar, leaned back on the sofa, and slowly pondered, occasionally glancing out the window.

The Minister is at a tricky age.

Her personality was already difficult to deal with, and the care she received from her family was practically meaningless; she even had to keep her beloved cat at a male classmate's house. As for the nonsense about her family being allergic to cat fur, Tsukasa Tazaki didn't believe her at all.

Such a big villa with such a large yard could easily be fenced off as a pet room!

She should have been a well-behaved girl; if she had been properly cared for, she would have certainly grown up healthy and strong.

But now... has it gone astray?

She suffered severe emotional trauma, beyond healing. This resulted in few people being able to talk to her, and even fewer being able to confide in her. Her father was too famous, her face too beautiful, and her sense of touch too sensitive... In short, the Minister was a very special person.

Halfway through his coffee, Tsukasa Tazaki took a plate of small sandwiches from the refrigerator and heated them in the microwave. He then made a cup of coffee for Sakura Kuriyama and brought it to the table along with the heated sandwiches.

"Please, Minister," he said.

Kuriyama Sakura used her fork to pick up a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing it elegantly.

The sandwiches are cut into small pieces, perfect for a single bite. The ingredients are simply slices of bread with cucumber, cheese, and salmon slices, resulting in a delicate flavor. Moreover, all the ingredients are cut to a uniform thickness, and the fine knife skills make this unassuming snack quite refined.

“It’s an improvement over the last one.” Kuriyama Sakura nodded, ate another sandwich, and took a sip of coffee.

"Have we figured out how our ATF club will defend our title at this school festival?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked to himself.

The minister ignored him.

He stuffed the sandwich into his mouth without a care in the world, taking his time to chew it.

"We can't just not set any challenges, can we?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked with a pained expression. "You're planning to skip the entire first school festival of your high school life?"

"Is there a problem?" Kuriyama Sakura put her fork on the plate, took a sip of coffee, and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Or do you think I'm the kind of person who likes to squeeze into crowds?"

"of course not……"

"Then why ask so many questions? Aren't you annoyed?"

“But you’re so unmotivated.” Just as Tazaki Tsukasa finished speaking, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, then put the phone to his ear: “Yui, do you need any help?”

"The work meeting is about to begin!"

"it is good."

Tazaki Tsukasa responded, picked up his schoolbag, and walked out. Although there weren't many books in the bag, it felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

As he closed the door, he looked back inside.

The girl sat alone by the window, with the bustling Yotsuya district as the backdrop outside.

The scene was terrifyingly beautiful, like the first ray of sunlight falling from a gloomy sky onto the ruins after the destruction of the entire world.

Suppressing the urge to turn back and hug her, Tsukasa Tazaki walked towards the elevated corridor at the other end of the walkway.

……

The footsteps faded into the distance, disappearing like the May wind, and not even the sound of the door closing was heard.