My love index is at its maximum.

Kuriyama Sakura tilted her head, looking quite troubled.

Instead of reading, he stared out the window.

From the fifth-floor window, one can overlook the bustling Yotsuya Street. There are people with somewhere to go, and people with nowhere to go; people with a purpose, and people without a purpose; people who want to hold onto time, and people who want to move time forward.

She glanced at the chaotic street scene for a moment, adjusted her breathing, and returned her gaze to the pages of her book, reaching out towards her coffee cup.

……

After leaving the activity room, Tsukasa Tazaki walked towards the elevated corridor. At the corner of the corridor, Yui Kikawa was leaning against the wall, holding an iPad, waiting for him.

The moment their eyes met, she remained unchanged, speaking to Tsukasa Tazaki in an irritated, icy voice, "Are you so preoccupied with the department head that you can forget about your own work?"

His tone and demeanor were as if he were talking to a stranger, and he seemed particularly cold.

Tsukasa Tazaki retorted, "I'm not that kind of person."

indeed.

He wasn't lying at all; besides taking care of the minister, he also took care of many other women.

Yui Kichikawa said, "But you care about her a lot."

"The same applies to you."

“It’s different.” The blonde girl shook her head and said, “We each have our own problems, but she is always the one who makes you feel the most helpless, so unsolvable that you even become hesitant to try to understand her a little more.”

Tazaki Tsukasa said casually, "You know you have a problem, so it seems there's still hope."

Although he was smiling, the blonde girl's words were like a dagger piercing his chest.

He himself is well aware of this.

Lately, I've been forcing myself to act the same as usual in front of Kuriyama Sakura, but when these unnatural thoughts arise in my mind, it means that I'm not like I used to be.

When you discover something is wrong and try to correct it, you only end up making yourself feel more unnatural.

They've completely fallen into a vicious cycle.

Tsukasa Tazaki thought he was good at hiding his thoughts, but from an outsider's perspective, was it really possible to see through him at a glance... or was it just that his older brother was smarter and could sense that something was wrong?

Seeing him fall silent, Qichuan Yui shook her head and sighed, as if giving up on her expectations of him, and took a step forward, her indoor shoes making almost no sound in the corridor.

Tsukasa Tazaki followed her to the student affairs office meeting room.

Students passing by in the corridor stopped and stared at the two walking side by side.

It's understandable that students like Zhe gossip, after all, these two are popular figures on campus just because of their looks, not to mention they have an extremely complicated relationship.

Childhood sweethearts, ex-boyfriends, the woman pursuing her husband again at the Jade Dragon Flag competition, and so on—a whole host of melodramatic stories.

The two people at the center of attention ignored all the stares.

Yui Kiseki is the type who never talks to people. Even in the kendo club where they worked hard together, no one could catch her eye.

As for Tsukasa Tazaki, he has very few friends but a lot of harem members.

After watching the two enter the conference room, the crowd that had stopped dispersed and went to different parts of the campus.

……

Driven by her own will and with the aim of further improving herself, Yui Kikawa took the initiative to accept the position of chairperson. After that, she demonstrated exceptional leadership and systematically promoted the operation of the entire executive committee.

A detailed work schedule was planned, communicated to the entire committee, and each group was required to report progress daily for tracking purposes.

When the media publicity team struggled with where to put up posters, she would analyze the map of the area around the campus, find places with high pedestrian traffic, and issue instructions; when the personnel coordination team was troubled by the inability to recruit aspiring performers, she would add a reward system and use the student council's activity funds to encourage students to sign up.

The school's official Twitter account, also under her management, has posted a lot of information.

The document includes information on the school's history, school festival activities, participating groups, transportation details, and visitor guidelines. It features numerous photos, illustrations, and hand-drawn maps, making the presentation clear and easy to read.

When a conflict arose between certain clubs over training grounds, Yui Kawakawa didn't have time to mediate herself, so she asked Tsukasa Tazaki to handle it...

Ok.

As an assistant, this is Tazaki Tsukasa's job, there's nothing more to say about it.

Of course, many problems will be encountered in the process, but under Yui Kichikawa's control, everything is proceeding quite smoothly.

For the members of the executive committee, this was the closest they had ever come to the perfect girl. After witnessing firsthand how outstanding her abilities were, everyone was completely convinced and had no doubts about her ideas.

Besides their work on the executive committee, Yui Kizaki and Tsukasa Tazaki also spend some time after school every day filming a promotional video for the school festival. The handsome boys and beautiful girls, dressed in Kitagawa Academy uniforms, are moving things, giving training instructions, and issuing challenges to each other.

As time went by, the students' spirits gradually rose, and each class and club was making final preparations for the school festival. The whole school was bustling with activity.

Another week passed, and September 15th arrived.

The day before the Minister's sixteenth birthday.

After school ended at 3:30, Tsukasa Tazaki went straight out of the school gate and took the Chuo-Sobu Line tram to Akihabara.

Tokyo is a world-renowned shopping paradise, and Akihabara is definitely a top shopping destination that young people should not miss.

Tsukasa Tazaki had worked part-time on the streets of Akihabara and had a fairly strong impression of the place.

As soon as you walk to the station, you'll see countless fashionable and youthful teenagers aimlessly wandering around. There are many video game or ACG merchandise stores on both sides of the street, and the stores are all very narrow. The loudspeakers of the stores always blare the theme songs of anime, and the sound of discarded flyers and loudspeakers mixes together in the wind.

The tram clattered and rattled forward.

Tsukasa Tazaki gripped the handrail of the tram, his body swaying slightly with the movement of the carriage.

Today, I made plans with Shimamoto Kana and Hoshino Hanami to go to Akihabara to pick out a birthday present for Kuriyama Sakura. The two teachers can leave early, but he has to finish his class before he can leave.

Birthday gift...

What should I give as a gift...?

The yellow tram stopped at the station, and as soon as Tsukasa Tazaki stepped onto the platform, Hanami Hoshino saw him. She immediately waved vigorously and hurriedly ran towards him, her boots making rapid sounds on the platform, her skirt fluttering and revealing her fair thighs.

Tsukasa Tazaki turned around, and JK Hanami pulled down her mask and smiled slightly at him.

"Don't just stare like that, it's not like we've never met before." Hoshino Hanami put on a mask, took his hand, and walked out of the station: "Let's go pick out a birthday present for Sakura."

Where is Shimamoto-sensei?

"Wait for us at the door."

Where are we going today?

"I'm having a headache. How about I wander around and pick something out first?"

"Where should we start?"

"This is fine." Hoshino Hanami pointed casually and pulled him towards an exit that they had chosen at random.

Ahead, Kana Shimamoto, wearing high-waisted jeans and a white chiffon top, raised her hand and smiled slightly at the two of them.

Mrs. Tazaki, with her dignified and elegant appearance, graceful figure, and tasteful attire, was easily noticed even while wearing a mask, as she emerged from the crowded throng.

The three of them met up and walked out of Akihabara Station.

Chapter 239 It's decided, the catgirl transformation device will be given to the Minister!

Question: What makes someone a winner in life?

With Hanami-chan on her left and Mrs. Tazaki on her right, that's what you call a winner in life!

But no matter how blissful that feeling is, shopping with two women is still a very painful experience.

"Hey, Hanami, look at this! It's super pretty, isn't it?"

"Great! The fleece on the collar can be removed, and it's easy to wear!"

"If you remove the collar, you can pair it with clothes for spring and autumn."

The two older sisters looked left and right, then right, happily discussing the newly released autumn and winter clothes.

Although I really hope their relationship can continue to be this harmonious, Tsukasa Tazaki still wants to remind them: Rei-ten is here to buy a birthday present for Sakura, not to have them buy clothes for the fall and winter season!

However, the way they eagerly tried on clothes when choosing them exuded a youthful charm.

Tazaki Tsukasa believes that this must be because nearby shops are holding seasonal sales, and the huge discounts have aroused the two sisters' shopping desires.

Hoshino Hanami held up a fleece hooded jacket and measured the sleeve length in front of the dressing mirror.

Not wanting to rush into the women's clothing store, Tsukasa Tazaki could only wait at the entrance like most men. The store was very thoughtful, providing seating for the men at the door.

Leaning back in my chair, I looked out at the bustling streets of Akihabara, where shops lined up one after another, and every passerby carried large and small bags.

Minister, what gift should I give you?

The minister, who seems completely indifferent to fashion trends, appears to only enjoy reading and petting cats within her own circle of interests.

Do you deliver books?

No, I don't think so.

People who love reading often have a bad habit: they always want to recommend books they find enjoyable to others. Neither Tsukasa Tazaki nor Sakura Kuriyama have this quirk, so gifting them books is out of the question.

Sending cat supplies?

No, it's the minister's birthday, not the cat's.

How about a photo collection of cats?

Save your breath, she probably already has a huge collection of them.

Sending him daily necessities, clothes, or bags would probably be pointless for the minister, and sending him jewelry or ornaments would likely be considered foolish.

I thought about it for a while.

I have absolutely no idea what to give as a gift.

Sakura, Sakura, your heart, so difficult for outsiders to touch, is truly a headache...

"Tazaki..."

Looking up, Tsukasa Tazaki saw Kana Shimamoto waving for her to come in, looking like she had something good to show him.

Hoshino Hanami wasn't standing next to her.

Tsukasa Tazaki glanced around and walked over to her. "What is it?"

Upon hearing the man's voice, the young women and wives shopping in the store all looked up. Seeing it was a handsome young man, their displeasure immediately eased. Their movements became much more subtle, and they deliberately lowered their voices when choosing items, avoiding the impression that they were rude women.

"Help me try this on." Shimamoto Kana held an amber-yellow belt, about the width of a thumb, embroidered with beautiful patterns.