My love index is at its maximum.

"You can even tell that? Kuriyama-san is really smart." Tsukasa Tazaki tilted his head and looked at her shiny black hair. "Now, even if I have to do the thing I hate the most, I can still keep a very happy mood."

"What is it about?" Kuriyama Sakura stared at him with her clear, bright eyes. The sunlight turned the downy hair on her cheeks a golden yellow, making her look stunning.

"I was lectured by my older sister for two days."

"Is being lectured enjoyable?"

Tsukasa Tazaki smiled contentedly: "I'm happy."

“She really is an M.” Kuriyama Sakura pursed her lips and stared into his eyes.

"..."

Seeing that Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't refute him, the department head smiled contemptuously, glancing briefly at Mizuiro Murakami standing next to him.

"Good morning."

Just as Murakami, the "invisible man," opened his mouth to say hello, Kuriyama Sakura turned around and walked up the slope leading to the school gate, her legs, clad in black stockings, displaying particularly beautiful lines.

"...Tazaki."

"what?"

"Does she look down on me?"

“Don’t say that,” Tsukasa Tazaki patted him on the shoulder, comforting him. “It’s not just you; she looks down on us.”

"It's understandable that I look down on scumbags like you, but why do you look down on innocent guys like me?"

"Don't 'slander' the word 'innocence'."

"What's wrong with me?"

As the two were talking, groups of students passed by, laughing and chatting happily. Suddenly, a boy jumped onto his companion's back, and the two of them fell to the ground together.

"Ah, Tazaki, you have to figure out a way for me to fall in love!"

"Just pay to rent it, your family has money anyway."

Murakami Mizuiro remained silent for a long time, seriously considering the question, before finally speaking: "That won't do. How can you buy your first love? That's a desecration of love. It's like bribing a referee to fix a match—it's meaningless!"

"Tell me when you've decided which girl you want to date."

"Sukawa Yui."

"Believe it or not, I'll break your legs."

“No, no, no,” Murakami Mizuiro quickly pointed behind Tazaki Tsukasa and explained, “I meant that Shigawa Yui is here.”

Tsukasa Tazaki turned around and waited until the expressionless blonde girl was in front of him before greeting her warmly, "Good morning, Yui."

Kikawa Yui glanced at him, then at Murakami Mizuiro, and passed them without saying a word.

"Hey, Xiaowei, wait a minute."

"what's up?"

"Isn't Sachiko's coffee shop about to open? I'd like you and me to take some promotional photos."

"it is good."

"Kuriyama-kun is coming too."

"not good."

"Please, I'll treat you to coffee later."

"it is good."

The two slowly walked into the school gate, leaving Murakami Mizuiro standing there alone, her expression stiff as she thought—I was here first!

After changing their shoes in front of the shoe cabinet, Tsukasa Tazaki and Yuichi Kikawa walked up the stairs together.

In the middle of the stairs on the second floor, a very fat orange cat was taking a nap.

Perhaps it had become familiar with the students, and it didn't seem to get up even as many people walked past it.

When Tsukasa Tazaki passed by it, he bent down and stroked it a few times.

"Meow~"

The chubby orange cat let out a lazy bark and licked its fur a few times with its little paws.

After petting the cat, Tsukasa Tazaki looked at Yui Kikawa and said, "The exam is in the middle of the month, and I heard it's a nationwide exam."

"Another competition?" Kirikawa asked.

"No, it's no fun to keep bullying you."

Qichuan Wei slightly pouted her lips, looking quite unconvinced.

She was tall and had fair skin.

Wearing a white shirt under a loose black jacket, and white tights under the skirt, the overall impression is that of a well-behaved child who gets excellent grades and is often praised at school and at home.

Tsukasa Tazaki suddenly remembered a passage he had read in some book.

Capable children, because of their abilities, constantly strive to achieve goals that should be accomplished by the adults around them. As a result, they gradually lose the fresh excitement and sense of accomplishment that children should have as children, due to dealing with too many problems beyond their age.

Children in such an environment will soon close their hearts tightly, sealing away their natural emotional expression. Reopening these closed hearts will require a long period of time and effort.

Qichuan Wei waited quietly for him to speak, her clear blue eyes exceptionally beautiful.

In the eyes of her classmates, it was undoubtedly true that she harbored goodwill and interest in Tsukasa Tazaki. The way she looked at Tsukasa Tazaki was completely different from how she looked at others.

To be perfectly fair, Tsukasa Tazaki himself was also an extremely charming and beautiful young man.

He is handsome, intelligent, versatile, and his achievements in sports are admirable; he is clean-cut, elegant, and speaks with a touch of dry humor. There is no doubt that most women who know him are interested in him.

Moreover, Yui Kichikawa is a rare genius and beautiful girl, so it's only natural that the two of them get together—at least half of the students at Kitagawa Academy think so, while the other half are die-hard fans of the Takuri faction.

He remained silent for a long time.

Tsukasa Tazaki cleared his throat with a fake cough: "Let's do our best together!"

"After waiting for so long, is this all you're going to say?" Qichuan Yui rubbed her eyes wearily and said coldly, "I would have done it without your reminder."

"Then let me put it another way."

"explain."

Let's work hard together to get into the University of Tokyo.

Kikawa Yui stared wide-eyed in surprise at his face.

This was the first time she'd seen Tsukasa so open and honest since he'd moved out, and she was momentarily at a loss for words. When the school bell was almost ringing, she asked, slightly blushing, "You're not joking, are you?"

"It's not something to joke about." Tsukasa Tazaki waved his hand gently. "Class has to start, let's talk next time."

Qichuan Wei nodded quietly, a glint of light shining in her eyes, like a wisp of cloud drifting across the deep blue sky.

The next second, Tsukasa Tazaki added, "Also, it's time to keep the bet from the school festival. This time, let's not have the imprisoned princess; how about a fallen saint instead?"

"Don't think about it!"

Qichuan Wei rolled her eyes at him and walked briskly up to the fifth floor.

During the morning meeting, Hoshino Hanami talked about the midterm exams.

"This exam is a national unified exam, divided into arts and sciences. The exam results will be used as a reference for your choice of arts or sciences in the second year. Please be sure to go home and discuss it carefully with your parents before choosing arts or sciences."

"In addition, based on everyone's final deviation score ranking, I will invite some of the parents to the school for a tripartite meeting."

A chorus of wails erupted from the classroom.

Tazaki Tsukasa rested his left hand on the table, gently touching his lower lip with his index finger, casually observing the expressions of the students in the class.

He wasn't too conflicted about choosing between arts and sciences, as long as Hoshino Hanami was his homeroom teacher.

After lunch break, Tsukasa Tazaki walked briskly towards the library. In the courtyard outside the corridor, the golden ginkgo leaves were beautiful, and yellow and white chrysanthemums were blooming in the flower beds. The sound of saxophone practice came from the club building.

Standing on the elevated walkway, I looked at the campus scenery and the people coming and going.

I wished my little darling were here, but in reality, I hadn't seen her for a month and a half. That intelligent Hokkaido girl, though sometimes quite stubborn, was naturally straightforward, optimistic, and lively.

The library was very quiet at midday; Tsukasa Tazaki thought it was because the books absorbed all the sound.

So what does the sound of being sucked into the book sound like?

Of course it's not very good.

Simply put, the sound didn't disappear; rather, the vibrations in the air were absorbed.

So what happens to the vibrations absorbed by the book?

Not so great. The vibration simply disappears. Anyway, the vibration will disappear sooner or later, just like there is no perpetual motion in this world... Stop, let's put an end to the messy thoughts that often float into the minds of artsy young people.

Tsukasa Tazaki walked toward the counter.

An elegant woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses is reading a book inside.

It was a very thick book, with Latin printed on the right and Japanese on the left. As usual, he held a finely sharpened yellow pencil with an eraser at the tip in his left hand.

Tsukasa Tazaki greeted him politely, "Hello, teacher."

Kana Shimamoto tilted her head back, a graceful smile playing on her lips: "Hello, how can I help you?"

"This is my first time borrowing books," said Tsukasa Tazaki, looking nervous and shy. "What's the first step I need to take, according to the procedure?"

"Let me think about it~" Shimamoto Kana held a pencil between her fingers, scrutinizing his face with interest for a moment. "You can freely enter and exit the library. If you want to read a book, just take it to the reading room. You need to come here to complete the borrowing procedure. Taking photos and making copies are prohibited."

Her voice was gentle and soothing; anyone who heard it could not help but feel fond of her.

Gentle, beautiful, elegant, and intellectual, with always sophisticated attire and refined manners, she is the perfect woman that every man dreams of.

“This is too troublesome,” Tsukasa Tazaki frowned in distress. “Does the teacher have a simpler procedure?”

"I can give you a back door."

Thank you so much.

What books do you want to borrow?

I would like to borrow a classmate's file.

Upon hearing this answer, Shimamoto Kana smiled slightly, as if she had expected it. This gentle smile was more accurately described as blissful than beautiful.

"Come with me."