My love index is at its maximum.

“Eating tuna can easily lead to mercury buildup in the body,” said Hoshino Hanami, crossing her arms and gazing at the oak tree in the courtyard. “After the age of forty, you are more prone to heart disease and hair loss.”

"...You glutton, how could you say something like that?"

Is there a problem?

"No problem!" Tazaki Tsukasa obediently agreed, then asked, "Are you worried that your identity isn't suitable?"

"Why ask if you already know?" Hoshino Hanami blew on her bangs and said with a rather amused expression, "Back then, you gave up the chance to return to the Kikawa family as a young master and wholeheartedly followed me, the head of the yakuza. I was so moved by your incredibly stupid idea that I fell head over heels for you. Don't you think I'm stupid?"

“I’ve already tricked her,” Tsukasa Tazaki said, shaking her head. “It’s too late for my sister to regret it now.”

"Alright, alright, don't talk nonsense in school. I'm going back to my office to prepare my lessons."

"Take care, teacher."

Hoshino Hanami smiled slightly and walked back to the classroom office in her high heels.

When Tsukasa Tazaki returned to the activity room, Sakura Kuriyama was still sitting by the window, holding a pen and writing something.

The bright sunlight outside the window bathed her in its glow.

Tazaki Tsukasa quietly moved to the table and saw her suddenly stop writing, as if she was carefully considering her words, her fingers unconsciously turning the ballpoint pen back and forth.

Seeing her so focused, I couldn't help but want to strike up a conversation with her—preferably something empty and boring, or silly and joking.

So Tsukasa Tazaki leaned closer and said, "What do you think about me making acquiring Microsoft my life's ambition?"

Kuriyama Sakura raised her head slightly, glanced at him with a questioning look, then sighed and said helplessly, "Are you joking with me?"

"Just kidding." Tsukasa Tazaki cleared his throat and said seriously, "It's like this, I plan to contribute my meager efforts to help humanity land on Mars in my lifetime!"

Seeing him spout nonsense with a serious expression, Kuriyama Sakura narrowed her eyes and said with a cold smile, "If you're bored, go back and chat with your chairman, or go run ten or eight laps around the track. Do whatever you want, just don't disturb my train of thought here."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Tsukasa Tazaki. He went to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of orange juice, and then opened the refrigerator to find the remaining half-pack of pretzels, chewing on a few pieces.

The cookies were a bit soggy and had no texture.

After washing the cups, he returned to the window and sat down before saying the rest of his sentence: "Today, I'm not going anywhere but to be by your side."

Kuriyama Sakura stared intently into his eyes.

The gaze was so sharp that I was worried it would pierce my eyes, but I gradually found that old sense of understanding again—I understand, Tsukasa Tazaki thought. During the time that Li had been pulled into the executive committee, the department head felt that she had become dispensable, which was why she had been acting so strangely for so many days.

He's still just a child, and deep down he feels needed.

Kuriyama Sakura stared at him for a long time, her gaze softening, and she said "Silly," before lowering her head to rewrite what she had just written.

"What are you writing?" Tsukasa Tazaki leaned closer and asked.

"A letter in reply to the Second Prince."

"reply?"

"Yes, she said she wanted to try this ancient way of communication, so she wrote me a letter."

"let me see."

After hesitating for a few seconds, Kuriyama Sakura pulled a sheet of paper filled with writing from her notebook and gave it to him.

【Sakura is doing well~】

The temperature is starting to drop day by day, and the sunlight is becoming weaker. Please take care of yourself.

The trees in Hokkaido have already started shedding their leaves, but what about Tokyo? According to Shiori-chan's geography knowledge, Tokyo's leaf-shedding season is about a month later, right? Ah… I still prefer Tokyo's hot summers. The asphalt roads that seem to melt in the heat, the skyscrapers under the blazing sun, and the excessively cold air conditioning in department stores and subway stations!

A few days ago I had a dream. In it, I became a nimble little bird. I flew through endless fields, past houses, across the Tsugaru Strait, and through a ray of light through a dense forest—a tram. I flew with the tram, soaring through the city night sky covered in power lines, flapping my wings and circling high above the buildings.

Like flying towards the most important person in the world, the bird's small body soared into the sky, the dense lights twinkling like stars. Soon, my body pierced through the clouds, soared over the sea of ​​clouds bathed in the bright moonlight, and flew towards the endless sky, and then...

[Shiori-chan fell off the covers and onto the floor, ouch! ╥﹏╥]

[By the way, Sakura's birthday is coming up soon! Happy birthday! (＊^▽^＊). (Please forgive Shiori-chan for not being able to send you a birthday present while I'm in Hokkaido.)]

[Damn it, I want to go back to Tokyo.]

[This was my first chance to participate in the school festival, and I just missed it...]

[I cried secretly for a long time because of this, but I can't tell Kiki. That guy is such a jerk! He actually moved in with Shimamoto-sensei! I'm so angry, I don't want to talk to him for a while!]

[I've recently been learning to make hamburger patties. The delicious smells in the kitchen and the clattering sound of the cleaver cutting onions are truly delightful and bring me joy. I'll try making them for Xiaoyingliang sometime; I guarantee she'll want more after just one bite.]

I don't know if you came to Hokkaido to find me, or if I went back to Tokyo to find you.

[PS: I hope spring returns soon; I want to see the cherry blossoms.]

After reading the letter, Tsukasa Tazaki felt a surge of emotions, but he couldn't find a way to vent them. He just held the letter in his hand and stared blankly at the person opposite him.

“I didn’t say I definitely wouldn’t come back.” Kuriyama Sakura raised her head, her sharp gaze fixed on his face: “Don’t put on this life-or-death act in front of me!”

Compared to her emotionally charged eyes, her tone was quite calm, and it was impossible to tell how angry she was.

"What did you write in your reply?" Tsukasa Tazaki breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the paper in front of her.

"It's a secret." Kuriyama Sakura crossed her arms, a haughty smile on her face. "Why should you know the secret between me and your mistress?"

Tsukasa Tazaki reached out and snatched the letter from him before he could react.

The minister, whose physical strength was only 4 points, was not worth mentioning to him.

"you wanna die!"

"Quiet down, don't disturb your subordinates reading the letter."

As the girl's gaze gradually turned towards terror, Tsukasa Tazaki quickly scanned the contents of the letter.

[Thank you letter]

I have read it very carefully. Aside from the dream section, while the other points of view are certainly interesting, the scenes don't quite come alive on the page. Overall, I'd give this letter a 70 out of 100; the writing style has improved. Keep being patient and keep working hard.

Speaking of hamburger patties, I'm reminded of a restaurant in the port area. I once went there alone, and they had a whopping eight different kinds of hamburger patties! The interior was unique, with a Hawaiian theme, and the waitresses were all quite pretty, their uniform skirts were very short.

I wasn't there to study the restaurant's decor or admire the waitresses' legs; I just wanted a regular hamburger patty—nothing fancy, really. So I told the waiter I only wanted a regular patty.

The waiter politely told me, "I'm sorry, we only have XX flavored beef patties."

Of course, I can't blame the waitress for this.

[Because the menu wasn't chosen by her, just as the uniform she wore, which revealed her thighs with every step, wasn't something she wore voluntarily. So I smiled slightly and ordered the so-called Hawaiian-style hamburger patty, which was topped with chunks of pineapple.]

See? Life is so amazing; what you want often comes in a different way.

It's like I just wanted a regular hamburger patty with nothing weird about it, but at that moment, fate could only offer me a Hawaiian-style hamburger patty with pineapple.

[Speaking of where Tsukasa Tazaki lives now, I was the one who helped him choose it.]

Located along the Odakyu Railway line, the rooms are clean and tidy, making them ideal for families with children.

[Living there, we can share hamburger patties and coffee, and watch the Odakyu Line trains pass by from our second-floor window.]

When the weather is nice, many people hang out their bedding to dry in the surrounding courtyards, and you can often hear the thumping sound of bedding being patted. It sounds very pleasant; you might want to stay there for a while if you have the chance.

Listening to those voices, I wonder, if I hadn't met Tsukasa Tazaki, would he still be living there?

[Imagine myself five years from now, all grown up, riding the Odakyu Line train through the area, looking at the low-rise houses lining both sides of the railway. Could one of them be that of Tsukasa Tazaki, whom I don't recognize?]

He might not even live there.

[If I lived there, I would definitely listen to music while ironing my shirts over and over until there were no wrinkles left. I'm absolutely certain of that.]

Where does this certainty come from?

This might not be an academic issue.

The answer is unknown.

No matter how old you are, no matter how much experience you have, there are always so many things you don't know. I stared intently out the train window at the unfamiliar houses, sometimes feeling as if someone very important to me lived in every single window, and other times feeling as if there wasn't one at all.

After all, there are just too many windows.

[Looking forward to your next letter.]

[PS: I hope true spring will return soon.]

Putting down the letter, Tsukasa Tazaki looked at Sakura Kuriyama with a very strange expression: "How is Shiori supposed to reply to you with all this? Especially that 70 points in the second paragraph, do you really have no idea how to interact with people your own age? It's like killing the conversation right from the start..."

The minister's eyes began to darken, so he stood up decisively.

See you tonight!

With a hasty wave of his hand, Tsukasa Tazaki began to flee for his life.

"You're dead tonight!!!" Kuriyama Sakura shouted at his back, her face flushed, her usual aloof and long-haired black hair vanishing in an instant.

Chapter 241 Happy Birthday, Sakura!

Minister Kuriyama's residence is located in Moto-Azabu, Minato Ward, a landmark affluent area in Tokyo.

The building was surrounded by high walls, and the gate was European-style with sharp angles. The nameplate on the gate was still very new, with the two characters "Kuriyama" boldly outlined in thick black ink.

When Tsukasa Tazaki arrived by car, it was already dusk.

Through the car window, he glanced at the mansion he was visiting for the second time.

The European-style villa is as spacious as a palace, with lush greenery in the yard and magnolia buds about to bloom.

A woman in her thirties stood waiting at the door, with a slender waist, long legs, and beautiful, flowing hair. Her smile was similar to that of Kana Shimamoto, giving off a gentle and virtuous feeling.

"I hate that smile!"

Looking out the car window, Kuriyama Sakura lowered her voice and said, "Hana-nee's smile, which gives people a sense of purity and innocence, is still more pleasant."

“I have a wide range of interests, I like both.” Tazaki Tsukasa said, getting out of the car and standing in front of Mrs. Kuriyama. He smiled warmly, like a ray of sunshine in winter, and greeted her softly, “Hello, Auntie, I’m Sakura’s classmate, Tazaki Tsukasa.”

Mrs. Kuriyama silently sized him up a few times, her expression as if she were inspecting a handcrafted piece that was about to be exhibited to the guests.

The dignified and handsome young man had a sharp look in his eyes. Under the influence of light and angle, he looked radiant and had the unique air of a genius young man. One glance was enough to be sure that his future was limitless.

not bad.

Mrs. Kuriyama nodded and said with a smile, "I've always regretted not being able to talk to you on my birthday last time."

"I can have a good chat with you tonight."

"Then I must apologize to Sakura."

"Hmm, no need. I'll apologize to her for you." Tazaki Tsukasa turned around and looked at Kuriyama Sakura, who had just gotten out of the car, and waved with a smile: "Sorry, Department Head, my schedule is booked tonight. How about you hold another birthday party tomorrow so I can have a chance to spend time with you alone?"