My love index is at its maximum.

If we could meet at sunset

Will you hold me in your arms?

The piece being played was "From Up on Poppy Hill," and the sound was truly incredible. On the snow-covered ground, free from urban dust, the music traveled freely through the clear, cold winter air, resounding across the mountains and the ocean.

Tsukasa Tazaki took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and listened intently to the slightly melancholic melody.

When you're actually there, the first thing that comes to mind is a snowy landscape.

The withered reeds, the slightly chilly wind, the mountain ridges, the hues of light, and the barking of dogs—all emerge clearly. It feels as if one could simply reach out and trace them with one's fingers.

Immediately afterwards, Shiori Ninomiya's face appeared on the screen.

Small, cold hands, long, smooth hair, soft, round pink earlobes, and an energetic smile that always graces her lips; her small body climbs a tall elm tree, gazing into the distance, always using the blue sky and sea as her stage, playing the harmonica alone.

Over time, this solitude dispelled the sorrow, and the music began to convey a yearning for poetry and distant places, and a vision for the future.

But life isn't just about poetry and distant places; there are also idiot clients... Tazaki Tsukasa remembered the book "The Moon and Sixpence" that he saw on her bedside table. There was a line in it that said: "To chase dreams is to chase misfortune. On a street full of sixpences, he looked up and saw the moon."

The "moon" and the "sixpence" are often contradictory, just like the "art" and "life" in the book.

She may have longed to reach out the window on countless nights, trying to grasp the elusive "moon," but in the end, she could only bend down in the face of helpless reality and pick up the "sixpence" she could find.

This can be described as futile, or as a lament for the future.

Tsukasa Tazaki opened his eyes and walked towards the elm tree.

At the same time, an impression of another person, whom I had never seen before, came to mind.

At seven or eight years old, Hoshino Hanami carried a bamboo basket and wandered through the mountains outside Kyoto, picking the tender shoots that had just sprouted from the bushes and frying them into tempura to satisfy her cravings; at fifteen or sixteen, Hoshino Hanami tied up her hair and put on a uniform, and in an all-girls school, she longed for the romantic love of 'who would suddenly take me away from here'.

Yes, the big cutie and the little cutie have something in common.

They both grew up in difficult circumstances, developed the same straightforward, optimistic, and resilient personality, and both loved life and longed for romance. The difference lies in the fact that Hoshino Hanami grew up more happily and robustly, becoming the most beautiful flower in the world.

And Shiori Ninomiya...

Tazaki Tsukasa suddenly realized that if the little cutie also grew up in a happy family, her lively and resilient personality might change, perhaps even turning her into a second Hoshino Shikami...

I'm sorry, sister-in-law.

I really didn't mean to belittle you, but your image is indeed quite endearing, hahaha... (Shikami, the idiot far away in Tokyo, suddenly sneezed, then blankly started eating his hand.)

"Hey, kiki~"

The music stopped, and Shiori Ninomiya looked down at the tree.

"Jump down, I'll catch you." Tsukasa Tazaki opened his arms, his eyes warm and peaceful.

Staring blankly at the girl in the tree, he felt a deep sense of intimacy. This intimacy was the reason why he had always preferred Ninomiya Shiori, which was different from the other two high school girls. The girl in front of him was the Hoshino Hanami that he could not understand before they met!

"I'm here!"

After putting away her harmonica, Shiori Ninomiya lightly leaped and bumped into him, where he held her tightly in his arms.

"My little cutie~ I like you more and more." Tsukasa Tazaki lowered his head slightly, looking at her eyes and brows.

Her cheeks were flushed red from the cold, giving her a vibrant look. Her beautiful, rosy lips were slightly parted as she breathed, and under the moisture of the mist and heat, her lips seemed to shimmer with a red glow, appearing exceptionally moist.

Her slender eyebrows curved into a pair of beautiful crescent moons, and her clear, bright eyes, still carrying a touch of childishness, were incredibly adorable.

"Hey, don't stare like that." Ninomiya Shiori looked at his dazed expression and laughed smugly. "Although Shiori-chan is indeed a beautiful girl without any flaws, you can't just hug her like that, right? This is my territory, you know. Be careful or I'll call someone to deal with you."

"Give me a kiss and I'll let you go," Tazaki Tsukasa said shamelessly, his tone becoming the same shameless way he used to whine to his older sister.

“No, no,” Shiori Ninomiya shook her head. “So many students are watching. It would be so embarrassing.”

As she shook her head, a few snowflakes that had been clinging to her hair fell into her neck, causing her delicate skin to blush slightly. She looked as tender as a newly opened lily, exceptionally clean and flawless.

In Tsukasa Tazaki's eyes, this little cutie suddenly became incredibly charming and alluring.

He held the girl tightly around the waist and continued to act spoiled, saying, "I won't let go until you kiss me."

"You're so childish..." Shiori Ninomiya turned her head slightly to the right, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "If you want to kiss me, you can do it yourself. I'm not going to take the initiative."

"No, it's always me who takes the initiative." Tsukasa Tazaki muttered, complaining like a child who had been treated unfairly when exchanging toys. "Shiori-chan has never taken the initiative, it's not fair."

This trick always works. Whether it's the older sister, the wife, or the boss's wife, none of them can resist his shamelessness. No matter how hard they struggle one second, they will become obedient the next second, and they will even agree to the slightly humiliating games he offers.

The Hokkaido girl, who had just tasted the sweetness of love, naturally couldn't refuse.

Unable to resist, she lowered her eyelids and breathed silently for a moment. Then, she raised her face and turned her head to check her surroundings.

After confirming that no one was watching, she tiptoed slightly, half-closed her eyes, and brought her lips closer.

The girl's blushing cheeks and docile demeanor made her look even more charming and alluring.

Their lips pressed intimately together.

For a long time, the only sounds in the courtyard, besides the wind, were the faint swallowing sounds of saliva being converted.

After their lips parted, they breathed hot air at each other, forehead to forehead.

"Let's go to the hospital," Tsukasa Tazaki said. "The test results should be in. I'll go with you to see them."

Shiori Ninomiya blushed deeply and gripped his arm tightly: "Today will be the most important day of Shiori-chan's life."

"Let's witness it together." Tsukasa Tazaki embraced her small body, shielding her from the wind and snow.

The two walked out of the school gate arm in arm and headed towards the sea.

There was cotton-like snow on the roadside, and every tree we encountered was bare.

As you descend the slope, the clear blue Pacific Ocean comes into view.

The seawater was cool and clear, with white waves surging onto the shore one after another, outlining soft curves on the sand and slowly receding after leaving behind tiny bubbles.

Several seagulls perched on the rocks, basking in the sun. Their white feathers were blown by the sea breeze, as soft as dandelion fluff, or like a woman's skirt fluttering in the wind.

“I wish it were summer,” Shiori Ninomiya nestled in his arms like a rabbit. “We could catch fish and collect seashells in the sea, and at night we could fish for frogs in the fields to eat.”

Tsukasa Tazaki chimed in, "We can come again in the summer."

"Kiki is getting better and better at coaxing Shiori-chan~" Ninomiya Shiori buried her face in his clothes and rubbed against him.

The boy's unique aura and the warmth of his embrace made her reluctant to let go.

"Hey, kiki."

"what?"

"Is that medicine really effective?"

"I told you not to worry."

“I was just scared…” Shiori Ninomiya pouted. “Yesterday, when I was giving it to my mother, I was afraid it wouldn’t work, so I didn’t dare let her know. I just dissolved it in a glass of water before feeding it to her.”

"Well done, remember to keep it a secret." Tsukasa Tazaki patted her head, thinking to himself that as expected of a fifteenth-grade student, she was much smarter than that idiot Sachiko-nee.

Upon entering the hospital, Ninomiya's father was already waiting at the entrance.

The moment he saw his daughter, he rushed over, and the father and daughter embraced in the snow, talking excitedly for a while.

Tsukasa Tazaki didn't disturb the two; he simply gazed out from the doorway.

The hospital faces a dark, windbreak forest stretching across the landscape, with the sound of the Pacific Ocean's crashing waves echoing in the distance. Such a view might seem pleasant from elsewhere, but from within the context of a hospital, the desolate scenery evokes a sense of melancholy and fails to inspire any enthusiasm.

However, it's good enough that the town has a hospital; we can't ask for more.

After the father and daughter finished their conversation, Ninomiya's father turned around and smiled at Tazaki Tsukasa through the cold air. It was a genuine smile, and Tazaki Tsukasa smiled back and nodded.

Upon hearing the news that her father had left the hospital and returned home, Shiori Ninomiya grabbed Tsukasa Tazaki's arm and excitedly ran upstairs to the second floor.

"What were the test results?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked.

"Blood sugar levels have dropped, and serum insulin levels have also improved..."

"Does the doctor have any instructions?"

Shiori Ninomiya chuckled, "The doctor said it's possible the equipment is malfunctioning due to its age, and we need to double-check."

"Then there shouldn't be any problem." Tazaki Tsukasa was relieved and was led upstairs by her.

The hospital was noisy at noon, crowded with visitors and patients with mild symptoms who came out for a walk. Actually, there weren't many people, but it looked like there were many because the hospital is small.

The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant. Nurses in white stockings moved back and forth, their creaking footsteps echoing throughout the hospital.

Entering the ward, Tsukasa Tazaki saw Ninomiya's mother for the first time.

The woman, in her forties, had wrinkles on her face and a rather dull complexion, but the exposed part of her neck was plump and white.

Seeing the two of them walk in, she suddenly opened her half-open eyes wide and smiled gently yet firmly.

"Mom~" Shiori Ninomiya jumped onto the bed and asked impatiently, "How are you? Are you alright? How are you feeling today? Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel much more energetic." Ninomiya's mother slowly moved her lips. "Especially my appetite, it started to pick up yesterday, and today I even had your dad buy me a lot of food to satisfy my cravings."

"That's great! Is there anything bothering you, like a headache or stomachache? And your feet? Let me see your feet." With that, Shiori Ninomiya lifted the blanket to take a look at her mother's festering feet.

"It won't get better that quickly." Ninomiya's mother tapped her on the head. "Don't let people laugh at you. You're not even as well as the people I introduced you to yet."

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Ninomiya Shiori clutched her head and cried out in pain before taking Tazaki Tsukasa's hand and saying, "This is my classmate, Tazaki Tsukasa. I call him Kiki. Mom, why don't you call him that too?"

"..."

Tazaki Tsukasa looked at him strangely, thinking that it was better not to, and that it was fine for only one person to call him that affectionately.

"Just classmates?" Ninomiya's mother smiled meaningfully, teasing her daughter: "If you're just classmates, why would I travel all the way to our small rural town with you? I haven't had much education, so don't try to fool me."

"Ahhh~" Ninomiya Shiori covered her face cutely and innocently and shook her head, "Mom, we can talk about this privately, all night long, why do we have to say it in front of him?"

Tsukasa Tazaki chuckled, leaned close to her ear, and whispered in a voice loud enough for the entire ward to hear, "Shiori, I like you."

"Don't say it, don't say it." Shiori Ninomiya quickly released one hand and covered his mouth. She smiled somewhat embarrassedly, while still covering half of her face with her other hand as she looked at the hospital bed. "Mom, this is my boyfriend, Tsukasa Tazaki."

Tazaki Tsukasa took her hand that was covering her lips and looked at the hospital bed: "Hello, Auntie, this is my girlfriend, Ninomiya Shiori."

"it is good."

Ninomiya's mother nodded gently, her smile radiating contentment.

Chapter 265 From now on, just come see me once a year, just once is enough...

At noon, Shiori Ninomiya was sent to town to buy lunch.