My love index is at its maximum.

Actually...

It doesn't matter whether your tennis skills are good or not.

Tsukasa Tazaki's gaze was mainly focused on her older sister's legs.

Of course, this doesn't mean the younger sister is inferior to the older sister; it's just that he's too embarrassed to stare at the younger sister.

The autumn wind whistled past her ears, and Hoshino Hanami's figure was agile and graceful, like a fairy dancing in the forest under the moonlight, or even more like the goddess Artemis who came out of the Greek temple.

The sneakers made a "sizzling" sound as they rubbed against the ground, and the short hem of her tennis skirt swayed up and down and left and right with her movements, revealing her two straight and slender legs, which looked very athletic.

As for the feel of it, Tsukasa Tazaki savored the memory: the calf muscles were smooth and elastic, and the thigh skin was warm and soft—it was really good, except it hurt a little when kicking someone…

"Whoo~"

Hoshino Shikami, panting, stopped and rested for a moment: "I can't go on, Shikami has no strength left..."

"Let's go back, take a shower, and have dinner." Hoshino Hanami shook her head helplessly. With only 10 points of stamina, she felt that her younger sister had collapsed before she even exerted herself, which was really not satisfying.

"Big sister~"

She heard Tsukasa Tazaki's voice and turned around. Tsukasa Tazaki was standing on the ladder, waving scissors: "It's all trimmed. Please check if there's anything you're not satisfied with?"

Well.

Hoshino Hanami smiled, her eyes narrowing.

I'll do the rest of my workout with my boyfriend tonight.

Back in the courtyard, her younger sister went to take a shower first, while Hoshino Hanami sat on the sofa, listening to a music program on TV while looking at a food magazine in her hand.

Tsukasa Tazaki went into the kitchen and made a soup with bonito flakes and seaweed, prepared a vegetable salad, and stir-fried beef.

At 7:30 p.m., the three of them sat around the table and ate dinner together.

"Mmm~" Hoshino Shikami, her mouth greasy from eating, blinked her big eyes and asked, "Tazaki, your cooking is getting better and better. Can you teach Shikami?"

Why would I teach you?

"Lu Jian also needs to learn to cook, so that she can win over her sister's stomach."

“No.” Tazaki Tsukasa sipped the delicious seaweed soup and looked at Hoshino Hanami’s chubby cheeks: “Onee-sama’s stomach must be filled by me personally.”

Seeing that she didn't have time to talk, Hoshino Hana gave him a charming eye roll that said, "Give me a break."

The tuft of hair that bounced up swayed back and forth like a dog's tail.

This means she is very happy.

"Eh eh~~"

Hoshino Shikami swung her toes under the table and looked at Tazaki Tsukasa with curiosity: "You're so amazing, how come you were once my target for protection money? That's strange... Tazaki, tell me what you were like back then, okay?"

"By the way, tell us how you dared to fall in love with your teacher..." Hoshino Hanami gave a strange smile and ordered him, "Tell us sisters about it too."

"no problem."

Tsukasa Tazaki nodded, his memory drifting back to spring a few months earlier.

"It feels like I've died once and am starting a new chapter in my life..."

"I moved out of the Kikawa family home, wanting to live alone in Tokyo. The first obstacle in my life was not a lack of courage or knowledge, but a lack of money."

"No money?" Hoshino Shika asked in return, looking a little embarrassed.

"At the time, I only had tens of thousands of yen on me, and the key money for renting the house was given to me by the store manager where I worked."

"Woo~" Hoshino Shikami whimpered like a puppy, her big, watery eyes saying, "You're already in such a terrible state, and you still have people collecting protection money from you. Shikami feels like a bad guy..."

“No, you’re an idiot.” Tazaki Tsukasa recalled the scene in a very calm voice: “In the days that followed, I went to school during the day, worked after school, and usually got home at 9:30 p.m. After taking a shower and finishing my homework, it was almost midnight.”

His voice is particularly pleasant to hear.

Instead of the typical hoarseness of a boy's voice during puberty, it has a special charm that makes people instinctively listen attentively once he starts speaking.

"One time I got home late and made chicken soup for dinner, but we were out of salt, so I ended up drinking a whole pot of bland chicken soup..."

"I got caught in the rain during the Golden Week holiday and had a fever for several days..."

"The rainy season is coming soon, the whole wall smells musty, and clothes won't dry even after hanging for many days. As long as you listen to music quietly, you can use an iron to dry them..."

Memories I hadn't thought about much in the past suddenly surfaced in my mind, some stirring my heart, others tinged with sadness.

Tazaki Tsukasa spoke softly.

A glint occasionally flashed deep within his eyes.

It's like sitting on a quiet train late at night, gazing at the lights that are faintly visible in the darkness outside the window.

Passengers gazing at these lights will feel a sense of peace and warmth.

Hoshino Hanami pursed her lips, then asked softly, "I've always wanted to ask you this: did you feel lonely living that kind of life before?"

“No one is immune to loneliness.” Tsukasa Tazaki’s voice was very low.

“…It’s a good thing you met me.” Hoshino Hanami said with heartache, but the thought of how he had become a womanizer after he was no longer lonely made her angry, and she couldn’t help but say in a sarcastic tone, “I shouldn’t have brought you home in the first place, I should have just left you to fend for yourself…”

"Haha~" Hoshino Shikami shook her little head cutely, her eyes full of laughter: "Quickly tell Shikami, how did you fall in love with your older sister?"

Tsukasa Tazaki didn't speak immediately, but turned to look at Hanami Hoshino.

Hoshino Hanami was also looking at him, staring intently into his eyes for a long while. Then she smiled slightly, like a distant, ethereal scene, much like a female deity often depicted in medieval lithographs.

"Speak quickly," she urged.

"Let me gather my emotions..." Tsukasa Tazaki carefully recalled his feelings at that moment and said, "It was a vivid dream, and the line between reality and dream was almost indistinguishable. When I woke up, I was in a state of confusion, wondering whether I had taken the red pill or the blue pill."

"What is that?" Hoshino Shikami asked curiously.

"The red pill represents an unbearable truth, while the blue pill represents being forever immersed in a false sense of beauty."

The sister-in-law was completely stunned.

Completely unaware of what Tsukasa Tazaki was talking about, she subconsciously bit her thumb and stared blankly.

Hoshino Hanami took his hand under the table. Tazaki Tsukasa looked at her and said softly, "I have a rather sentimental side. Sometimes when I'm overwhelmed by something heartwarming, I make very firm decisions. For example, when I was brought back to Sakura's family and treated like family by my older sister, I was so moved that I knew I would marry no one but my older sister."

"Wow, you've lost your mind thinking about marrying me, haven't you?"

Seeing that Hoshino Hana's pretty eyebrows had stood up, she said with displeasure, "Do you want your older sister to help you sober up now?"

His tone sounded very angry, but the left hand holding Tsukasa Tazaki's palm still conveyed a reassuring calmness, soft and warm.

"Great!"

"Sister, let's beat him up!"

Hoshino Shika, forgetting all about eating, excitedly jumped off her chair and bounced around the living room, occasionally stopping to wave her little fists and taunt Tazaki Tsukasa with a "ho ho ho".

"Penguin-kun~"

Hoshino Hanami looked at Tazaki Tsukasa with a smile, her eyes filled with a strong sense of pressure: "I'll give you a chance to rephrase your words. Is it because you've lost your mind that you're thinking of marrying me?"

“…Of course not.” Tazaki Tsukasa keenly sensed the danger.

really.

The next second, his waist was grabbed by a pair of hands.

"Ouch, be gentle!" Tsukasa Tazaki cried out, her face contorted in pain. "Please, sister, know your limits! Using all 10 points of stamina will kill someone..."

"Come upstairs with me!"

Hoshino Hanami put her hand on his waist and led him up the stairs.

"Hey, wait!" Hoshino Shikami's smile froze instantly, and she hurriedly called out to the two backs, "Where's Shikami? Where did Shikami go?"

"You wash the dishes first."

After saying that, Hoshino Hanami glanced around the living room and looked at the Border Collie lying on the sofa: "Then let the Navy take you to play. Don't come up here and disturb your sister."

"..."

Hoshino Shikami looked at the Border Collie: "Navy, get up and bite Tazaki!"

"Woof~"

"Get up."

"Woof~"

Am I still your master?

"Woof~"

The Border Collie glanced at its little owner with obvious weariness, then dashed out the door. In the blink of an eye, only a lonely little fool remained in the large living room.

……

Back in her room, Hoshino Hanami went to take a shower first.

Tazaki Tsukasa boiled water in the kettle, then picked up her lesson preparation materials from the table to pass the time, reading them while listening to the sound of the water.

Hoshino Hanami didn't go to the large bathroom on the second floor to take a shower, but instead used the small toilet in this room.

The interior space is small, with a large mirror.

When faced with a very strong temptation, it is difficult for people to concentrate on learning.

Closing the book, Tsukasa Tazaki picked up a mint from the table and chewed it a few times.

"Ha~"

He covered his mouth with his hand and blew a breath to make sure the lingering taste of dinner was gone. He swallowed the candy, got up, went to the bathroom door, and gently turned the doorknob.

opened.

She didn't lock it!

In the misty bathroom, water poured from the showerhead, landing on Hoshino Hanami's smooth back, then sliding down her body and long, straight legs to the floor.

Even women would be captivated by this breathtakingly beautiful scene.

After waiting for a while, Hoshino Hanami turned around, revealing her face reddened from being soaked in hot water: "What are you standing there like an idiot for? Hurry up and come over here."

"immediately!"

Tsukasa Tazaki crawled under the showerhead and hugged her from behind.