My love index is at its maximum.

Tazaki Tsukasa suddenly became nervous and quickly grabbed her legs with both hands: "What did you answer?"

Humph.

You bastard!

"I told you I don't plan to get married again." Sachiko Tono stretched, and as her clothes were pulled, her figure was emphasized once again.

"Oh." Tsukasa Tazaki put it down and looked back at the computer.

Sachiko Tono kicked him again: "But my mom said no, I have to find someone to accompany me."

"And then?" Tsukasa Tazaki turned around nervously again, and after noticing the amusement in her eyes, he laughed and said, "Don't tease me, what did you answer?"

“I told you I was keeping a boy as a mistress.”

"That's straightforward enough."

"Hehe." Sachiko Tono chuckled and tugged at his ear. "Initially, I got you a job at the convenience store to support you, this homeless kid, to fill your loneliness. Who knew that by some twist of fate you would become my lover?"

How are you feeling?

"Whenever I think of Tazaki-kun, all I can picture is a pixelated image."

"...Sounds great, haha."

"Oh, by the way," Sachiko Tono said, taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere after the dirty joke, "The Kikawa family's anniversary is next month, Tazaki-kun, would you like to go home and visit?"

"I won't go back." Tsukasa Tazaki grabbed her feet and placed them on his face, feeling the unparalleled sensation of the black stockings rubbing against his cheeks. "Didn't your aunt casually mention this to you in a very natural setting, and then casually suggest that you ask for my opinion?"

“Chestnut isn’t as bad as you make her out to be.” Tono Sachiko teasingly rubbed his nose with her toes against her stockings. “She and I are very good sisters, and I won’t allow you to talk about her like that.”

"You've really been brainwashed by your aunt." Tsukasa Tazaki sighed helplessly, sniffing the slightly sour smell. "She only takes such good care of you because she wants you to be the link between me and the family. It's not sisterly affection. Sachiko-nee, wake up."

“Even if it’s true, I still have to thank Kuriko.” Sachiko Tono’s expression softened, and her tone became as kind as an old mother’s. “Every time I think about Tazaki-kun having no parents and being a poor, homeless child, it breaks my heart. As a woman, I can’t accept this kind of thing. Kuriko wants you to go home, so of course I have to help her.”

Looking into her eyes, which were filled with maternal warmth, Tsukasa Tazaki rubbed his forehead with a headache and reached out his hand: "Give me your phone, I need to talk to my aunt."

"You can't argue with her!" Sachiko Tono warned before dialing Kurisu Kawa's number and handing him the phone.

"Hey, Sachiko, did it go well?"

"it's me."

"..."

There was a brief two-second silence on the other end of the microphone, followed by Kurisu Kirikawa's very smooth and clear voice.

"Oh, it's Xiao Si. Could you ask Xingzi if the investment plan I asked her to make for me went through successfully?"

“Auntie,” Tsukasa Tazaki said calmly, “don’t put on an act in front of me.”

Sachiko Tono nudged his nose with her toe and whispered a warning: "Be more polite!"

"Hmm, haha..." Kurisu's laughter was very pleasant to hear.

"Sigh, I can't stand you two." Tazaki Tsukasa looked at Tono Sachiko's black-stockinged feet pressing on his forehead and said helplessly, "How about this, I will come home often and treat it as my home, but I will only have contact with you, Auntie. I will ignore the other members of the clan. Is that okay?"

"Eh? Xiao Si is so annoying..." Qi Chuan Li laughed happily, her voice sweet and coquettish, "How could you confess to someone so hastily? At least find a romantic French restaurant, listen to the romantic 'Wedding March,' have Xiao Wei as the witness, and then you can hold my hand and tell me in person that you only like your aunt, right?"

"……goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, Tsukasa Tazaki looked at Sachiko Tono: "Is this alright?"

“Mmm,” Sachiko Tono nodded vigorously a few times, then flirtatiously pounced on him, affectionately biting the tip of his nose: “Tazaki-kun, who is willing to change for the people he cares about, is so lovable.”

After embracing each other for a moment, Sachiko Tono got up, picked up her handbag, went to the bathroom to tidy up her disheveled clothes, and then, following Tsukasa Tazaki's suggestion, took a new pair of flesh-colored stockings from Kana Shimamoto's room to change out of her torn black stockings.

"I'm taking good care of my body, aren't I?" she asked as she reapplied her lipstick.

“Sachiko-nee is getting younger and younger.” Tsukasa Tazaki leaned back on the sofa, propping his cheek up with his hand. “If you walked down the street, people would definitely think you were a female college student in your early twenties who had just started looking for a job.”

“Very good.” Sachiko Tono smiled brightly, put the lipstick into her handbag, snapped it shut, and then said, “Well then, I have to go prepare for the opening of the coffee shop. Goodbye, Tazaki-kun.”

After seeing her out, Tsukasa Tazaki returned to the sofa and continued reading.

He reads often and enjoys reading, not just to pass the time. When he gets tired of reading, he closes his eyes, covers his face with the book, and falls asleep, inhaling the scent of the paper. At those moments, he feels very fulfilled.

In the afternoon, Kuriyama Sakura brought the cat over.

Upon entering, the minister's brows furrowed instantly, clearly indicating that something in the room displeased her.

"..." Tazaki Tsukasa recalled that night in Kamakura.

Her intuition is very sharp; she would definitely be able to detect any traces of Sachiko's visit.

"Let me see the cute kitten." Tsukasa Tazaki reached out, wanting to take the kitten in the cage from her hands.

Kuriyama Sakura looked suspicious, her eyes darting around as she surveyed the room for a long time.

During this time, he completely ignored any attempts by Tsukasa Tazaki to speak to him.

After waiting in the kitchen for a long time, she finally came to Tsukasa Tazaki with the cat in her arms, staring at him with a stern look and asking, "Is there another new woman here?"

"You really can't hide anything from the Minister." Tsukasa Tazaki said with genuine admiration. "But she's not a new woman, she's the convenience store manager. You'll see her often after the coffee shop opens."

"Shameful!" Kuriyama Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly as she put the cat down. "Take good care of her. I'll come again next time."

As soon as she finished speaking, her long ponytail swayed and disappeared through the doorway.

Shameless...

Tsukasa Tazaki cursed himself as well, then squatted down and opened the cat cage.

A silver-spotted Maine Coon huddled in the corner, its beautiful pupils watching him cautiously yet with great curiosity.

They looked at each other for a while.

"Ha~"

"Meow~"

When Shimamoto Kana returned home, she happened to see a person and a cat yawning at the same time.

"Ah~"

Infected by the infection, she couldn't help but yawn as well.

……

A new week has arrived as scheduled.

On a sunny Monday, Tsukasa Tazaki exited Yotsuya Station and headed towards school.

The uphill road leading to the school gate is lined with ginkgo trees whose leaves have turned completely yellow, their branches stretching all the way to the middle of the road. The sunlight and fallen leaves work together to turn this place into a golden avenue.

Looking ahead.

The blonde girl walked alone through the fallen leaves, her figure like the most beautiful flower in the autumn field.

Seeing this poetic scene, Tsukasa Tazaki's mood brightened.

I wanted to tease her, to bully her.

For example, suddenly calling her name to scare her, or pulling at her beautiful long blonde hair, or turning her into a fallen saint...

"Good morning, Yui." Tsukasa Tazaki caught up with her and greeted her.

"Good morning." The most beautiful flower looked straight ahead, not even turning its head to look down. Only its clear blue eyes were like the surface of a lake ruffled by the wind, gently stirring up ripples.

“The weather is really nice today.” Tsukasa Tazaki started with a seemingly boring remark, but then changed the subject, “The sky is a surprisingly deep blue, clear and transparent, without a single cloud to spoil its beauty. On a day like this, you can almost see the essence of the deep blue universe in the most commonplace things.”

"Is this how you usually talk to girls?" Qichuan Yui finally turned around, her blue eyes, clearer and more transparent than the sky, staring at him. "If Zamyatin knew that you used this meaningful description of scenery in his 'We' as a boring opening line, he might be so angry that he would crawl out of his grave to talk to you about literature and art."

"..."

When you're in a good mood, you're more likely to act impulsively.

My older brother is a science fiction fan, especially fond of cyberpunk works. So, he must be very familiar with the dystopian idea, a core element of cyberpunk.

Zamyatin's *We* is an immortal masterpiece known as one of the "dystopian trilogy." The other two are Orwell's *1984* and Huxley's *Brave New World*.

Caught red-handed for plagiarism, Tsukasa Tazaki remained unfazed, gazing into the distance with a deep and melancholic air: "When the summer sun subtly changes color as if crossing a watershed, the exhilarating autumn arrives. Like an angel, it briefly embraces all living things, like a stream of water seeping into the sand, storing up enough warmth for them before the cold winter comes."

Qichuan Wei frowned and said coldly, "What exactly are you talking about?"

Ugh.

Not everyone possesses the minister's keen intuition, capable of discerning even the most bizarre and unusual metaphors.

“I said,” Tsukasa Tazaki said simply and directly, “I love autumn the most.”

"why?"

"The ginkgo leaves in autumn are as beautiful as Xiaowei's hair color."

"...Let's talk again next time."

A sudden straight ball caused Qichuan Yui's mind to temporarily freeze, and she hurriedly quickened her pace to enter the school gate.

Amidst the swaying strands of golden hair, one could glimpse her small ears slowly blushing red.

My older brother is getting more and more shy...

Tazaki Tsukasa followed behind her, suppressing a laugh. His shoes crunched on the fallen leaves, making a soft, pattering sound. Listening to that satisfying sound, like chewing potato chips, he suddenly found himself genuinely liking autumn.

of course.

I only like autumn when I'm with Yui Kikawa, but if it's Shiori Ninomiya, her favorite season is winter. Why? Because when I think of winter, I think of snow, and when I think of snow, I think of the little fairy from the snow country, Shiori Ninomiya.

I walked into the school gate with my schoolbag on my back.

The autumn sun shone brightly over the entire school, and the vending machines lining the school paths looked brand new, as if they had just been painted. Watching the chubby orange cat sunbathing on one of the vending machines, Tsukasa Tazaki felt a sense of contentment.

Everything is fine.

The only thing missing is my little cutie, whom I haven't seen in a long time.

Come back soon.

Tazaki Tsukasa thought to himself, "No matter what difficulties we face, I will overcome them together with you."

Chapter 257 A Little Cutie's Monologue Far Away in Hokkaido

Hokkaido, Asahikawa, Hamaka Town.

On the night the school festival was nearing its end, the clouds that had covered the sky for days finally dispersed, and the moon appeared brightly in the sky.