My love index is at its maximum.

“You have no idea,” he said, looking at his daughter, “your mother suddenly felt like eating something this afternoon, and then she ate two whole cucumbers.”

"Really?" Shiori Ninomiya put the half-eaten radish piece back into her bowl, her eyes wide with surprise.

“You bet I was shocked.” Ninomiya’s father looked left and right, then stood up and said, “I’ll go get two cucumbers so you can try my unique way of eating them.”

Tazaki Tsukasa sipped his radish soup slowly, without looking up.

After her father walked out the door, Shiori Ninomiya turned to look at him and asked, "Did that medicine really work?"

"I'm not sure if it can be cured completely, but it can definitely relieve the symptoms." Tsukasa Tazaki took a couple of bites of rice, then picked up a duck wing and started eating. "If I didn't have any confidence, how could I dare to kiss you?"

Shiori Ninomiya was silent for a moment, then laughed rather hysterically: "Oh no, oh no, what am I going to do if I really cure Mom? Am I really going to have to be your concubine? Ah, I'm so unwilling, hehehe..."

Tsukasa Tazaki gently touched her foot with his foot inside the kotatsu, then continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Shiori Ninomiya kicked him back and quietly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

He tilted his head and gave me a cute smile.

She laughed along with him.

A moment later, Ninomiya's father came in with three washed cucumbers, sliced ​​them, poured some soy sauce into a dish, rolled them up with seaweed, and said, "This is how cucumbers taste best."

As he spoke, he dipped the cucumber wrapped in seaweed into soy sauce and began to eat it with a "crunch crunch".

Tazaki Tsukasa picked up a piece with a toothpick, dipped it in soy sauce, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and couldn't help but exclaim, "I thought it was some kind of weird dish, but it's surprisingly delicious."

Shiori Ninomiya also took a bite, and the whole room was filled with pleasant "crunch crunch" sounds.

"How is it? Is it delicious?" Ninomiya's father asked.

“It’s delicious,” she said.

“It’s a good thing that she’s eating well; it’s like evidence of her vitality.” Ninomiya’s father sighed slowly, tears welling in his eyes. “Your mother hasn’t had much of an appetite for the past two months. She can’t eat anything and can only survive on IV fluids. When she suddenly said she was hungry this afternoon, I burst into tears on the spot…”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man, who was genuinely expressing his feelings, paused for a moment before looking at Tsukasa Tazaki as if he had just remembered something: "Ah, I'm sorry, I made you laugh."

After finishing his cucumber and continuing to gnaw on a duck wing, Tsukasa Tazaki looked up, his face full of confusion: "What's wrong? What did Uncle and Shiori talk about just now?"

"Let's eat, let's eat." Ninomiya's father chuckled happily, then turned to his daughter and instructed, "I'll keep watch tonight. You make your own breakfast tomorrow, okay? Don't neglect your classmates and let them think you're a lazybones. Also, go to the hospital again at noon..."

"I know, lalalala~" Shiori Ninomiya replied in a drawn-out tone, her expression inexplicably charming.

After dinner, Ninomiya's father packed some food in a lunchbox, drove back to the hospital, and the two of them were left alone in the large house again.

"Come eat roasted sweet potatoes~" Tsukasa Tazaki used a fire poker to dig out the sweet potatoes buried in the ashes and reached for them. The freshly roasted sweet potatoes were very hot, burning him so much that he cried out "Ah!" He threw the sweet potatoes onto the table and then blew hard on his burned fingers.

"Idiot, idiot~" Ninomiya Shiori scolded, both amused and heartbroken, before lying lazily on the table and whining, "Kiki, feed me."

"Wait a minute~"

Tazaki Tsukasa skillfully broke one open; it was the pink kind. He peeled off the skin in a few quick movements and stuffed it into her mouth: "This kind tastes very good, but because it has a lot of starch, it makes your farts quite loud."

"...?" Shiori Ninomiya looked at the roasted sweet potato offered to her mouth, sniffed, and felt a little tempted, but when she thought of the scene of the beautiful girl farting loudly, she decisively refused, "I don't want to eat it, you eat it yourself!"

"Oh, then I'll eat it myself." Tsukasa Tazaki tried to keep a straight face as she stuffed a steaming hot roasted sweet potato into her mouth. "Mmm~ soft, fluffy, and delicious. It's so warming in the dead of winter, such a blissful feeling~"

"Humph~"

Ninomiya Shiori puffed out her cheeks angrily, pursed her lips, tilted her head, and stared silently at the firelight in the stove.

"Want some?" Tsukasa Tazaki reached out and patted her head, teasingly saying, "If you want some, I'll peel one for you. No need to be so stubborn."

"I don't want to eat!" Despite being pressed down and patted on the head, Ninomiya Shiori still retorted defiantly, then snorted unhappily, "You're not allowed to sleep in my room tonight. You can go to the chicken coop and fart at that stinky parrot all by yourself."

Shiori-chan is so cute when she's being sulky...

Tazaki Tsukasa smiled like a creepy old man. Resisting the urge to lie down and roll on the floor, he dug out another sweet potato, cut it in half, and held it to her mouth: "This kind has a red heart, more juice, less starch, so you don't have that problem eating it."

Shiori Ninomiya looked at the broken sweet potato with a mixture of belief and doubt. It was steaming hot, with thick syrup in the middle. The red fruit was translucent under the light, as tempting as a ruby.

"Try it!" Tsukasa Tazaki pressed a sweet potato to her lips.

"Ah~ Mmm." Shiori Ninomiya lowered her head and took a small bite.

"Is it tasty?"

A hot roasted sweet potato is very comforting in winter, and it's sweet enough to make it perfect for couples to share.

But given that he had just said something quite indecent, Shiori Ninomiya didn't want to forgive him so quickly, so she vaguely replied, "The taste is so-so!"

"Here, I'll dig out the rest." Tsukasa Tazaki handed her the roasted sweet potato, turned around and poked around in the stove for a while. When he turned back, he found Shiori Ninomiya holding the sweet potato in both hands, looking at him with bright eyes.

Because most of her body was nestled inside the kotatsu, the girl looked tiny and incredibly adorable. The way she held the sweet potato in her hands also made her look a bit like a hamster. She was truly adorable.

Seeing him turn around, Shiori Ninomiya smiled sweetly and stretched out her hands: "Kiki, you can eat too."

Tsukasa Tazaki took a big bite.

The sweet juice permeates the taste buds, sweetening the heart.

It was an infinitely beautiful night.

If there's any shortcoming, it's that although the two of them sleep in the same bed, they use two separate blankets.

It's okay though...

Tazaki Tsukasa looked out the window, thinking that he could just be shameless.

It's not like we haven't tried it before, right?

The small mountain village slept quietly in the cold winter night. He quietly slipped into another quilt, and the bright moonlight shone on the bed, outlining the silhouettes of the boy and girl sleeping in each other's arms.

Chapter 263 Shiori-chan is so innocent, what bad intentions could she possibly have?

Before dawn, the mountain village was completely silent, no different from the forest.

I don't know when, but someone shook my shoulder. Before I even opened my eyes, I smelled the familiar scent of shampoo.

"Get up, get up now!" she shouted.

Tazaki Tsukasa yawned and slowly opened his eyes. Ninomiya Shiori sat on him, almost lying on top of him, gently rocking his shoulders. Her body, clad only in a white T-shirt and white underwear, was as smooth as a small dolphin.

"What time is it?" he asked.

“It’s almost seven o’clock, let’s watch the sunrise together.” As she spoke, Shiori Ninomiya lowered her head and gently kissed his neck, her long hair falling between them. “The sunrise after the first snow is so beautiful, especially with Kiki with me. I’m really looking forward to it.”

"Mmm, I'm looking forward to it." Tazaki Tsukasa closed his eyes contentedly, surrendering his body to her lips and hair, savoring the sensations.

The sound of the wind blowing outside reached my ears.

The cold winter wind swept through the town, blowing through the thickets, swaying the persimmon trees by the walls, and rattling against the doors and windows. He opened his eyes, quietly wrapped his arms around Shiori Ninomiya's back, and looked outside.

Around 7 a.m., the other side of the mountain began to slowly glow.

Shiori Ninomiya pressed her cheek against his chest as they looked out the window together: "The sun is about to rise."

Gradually, wisps of red glow rose from the mountaintop, carrying a few golden-edged clouds, painting a rosy glow on the snow-capped peak.

Beneath the colorful clouds, the vast, purplish-blue sky was gradually tinged with purplish-red, its brightness slowly increasing, gradually transforming into a small arc and a semicircle; the previously dark mountain peaks slowly revealed their original appearance, their outlines appearing clearly as if reflecting light.

What a beautiful sight!

Everywhere covered in snow was shimmering with the glow of the setting sun, like jewels sparkling in crystal-clear water.

Tazaki Tsukasa held his breath, wrapped his arms around Ninomiya Shiori's petite and shapely body, and murmured, "This is the first time I've ever seen such a beautiful sunrise."

"Kiki, you have to come see me next time too." Shiori Ninomiya gripped his arm tightly with both hands, her expression very serious.

Morning light streamed into the room, illuminating the floor and the headboard.

The soft, diffused light shone on her cheeks, whiter and gentler than starlight, making her look even more pure and beautiful.

"I'll come back with you every year." Tsukasa Tazaki put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her eyes. The air in the bed was warm, carrying the cozy dampness of the girl's breath.

At the mountaintop, the rising sun leaped slightly, leaving a fleeting trail of light. Soon after, a sun like a blazing fireball rose from behind the mountain, hanging high in the sky.

The snow grew even more dazzling, like a burning flame, and the mountain peaks shone brilliantly, as blinding as a knife placed on a crystal block of ice.

The room was as bright as day.

The light was as gentle as the spring sunshine and as serene as the moonlight.

It brings comfort to the heart and is filled with sweet warmth.

Tazaki gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. Although the light particles in the room emitted only a faint glow, they carried a warmth that no one could take away.

"My cheeks feel warm," he said.

"Is the light warm?"

"Is it okay if I touch it?"

"no problem."

Just as Tsukasa Tazaki was about to touch him a few times and say something cheesy, Shiori Ninomiya chuckled and pushed him away with both hands: "You can sleep a little longer, Shiori-chan is going to make breakfast."

"I'll do it."

Tazaki Tsukasa pressed her back onto the bed, and before she could say anything, he picked up his clothes from the floor, put them on over his head and body, and ran downstairs.

“A real concubine really does have special privileges, huh~” Shiori Ninomiya said, clutching a pillow and laughing happily.

Upon arriving at the entrance on the first floor, Tsukasa Tazaki glanced down the mountain.

October 29th, Friday, 7:25 a.m.

The lowest temperature was -13 degrees Celsius. The snow had stopped, and the sky was clear and deep, as if it had been carved out by a sharp knife. Rows of low houses lay quietly on the ground; the scene was truly beautiful, a typical northern landscape.

Tsukasa Tazaki stretched out a big yawn and exhaled a puff of white breath.

In a very good mood, I hummed a song as I walked toward the kitchen. The song startled a flock of birds in the woods outside the kitchen. The fluttering sound came through the woods, as muffled as if it were filtered through several layers of paper.

The kitchen has a gas stove, so there's no need to cook with firewood.

In addition, there is a small refrigerator and a microwave oven, several kinds of kitchen knives are prepared according to different uses, the long-handled frying pan is shiny and spotless, and the trash can on the sink is also cleaned.

Last night while I was cooking, my little cutie mentioned that she usually cleans and tidies the kitchen.

In the morning light, Tsukasa Tazaki gazed intently at the pots, bowls, and condiment bottles arranged on the kitchen counter. From this small kitchen, one could see her resilient character; even when faced with seemingly insurmountable difficulties, she still loved her life.

No wonder this cutie can cook so well... Lively, adorable, meticulous, strong, and so beautiful—where else can you find such a wonderful girl these days? It would be such a shame to miss out!

Humming a cheerful tune, Tsukasa Tazaki first boiled water in a pot, then took out tomatoes from the small refrigerator, chopped some garlic and cabbage to make tomato sauce soup, and casually made a salad with these ingredients.

There was some bread left in the refrigerator. I took it out, spread some honey on it, and then heated it in the microwave.