My love index is at its maximum.

Of course, she didn't find it.

"It's okay, say whatever you want." Tsukasa Tazaki wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and put them around her waist. "I think I can understand you, you can say whatever you want."

“I just can’t put it into words.” Shiori Ninomiya sighed, closed her eyes, and ran her fingers through her hair. “Lately, I’ve been like this all the time! Whenever I try to express something, all I can come up with are nonsensical words. Do you know what that feels like?”

After saying that, she turned around and looked directly into Tsukasa Tazaki's eyes.

"Let me try to analyze it."

"Can Kiki read my mind?"

"Of course, your heart is already within reach, and I don't intend to ignore it."

After a moment of silence, Shiori Ninomiya nodded silently a few times: "Are you absolutely confident?"

"Absolutely, it comes from intuition and observation."

"Okay, tell me about it."

After a brief moment of thought, Tsukasa Tazaki patted her head. "First of all, Shiori has a slight sense of inferiority."

“No…” Shiori Ninomiya retorted weakly, the firelight from the stove illuminating her beautiful profile.

“Don’t rush to refute me,” Tsukasa Tazaki said, taking an orange from the table and peeling it as he spoke. “From the moment you arrived in Hokkaido, you’ve been constantly emphasizing that ‘Hokkaido locals don’t like snow.’”

"This proves nothing!"

"Still being stubborn?" Tsukasa Tazaki popped a segment of orange into her mouth. "I've told you so many times that I like Yuki, but you keep contradicting me. Aren't you just trying to tell me that you and I are from different worlds? I'm the top student in the grade, okay? You little idiot who's fifteenth, do you think you can fool me?"

"Humph~"

Ninomiya Shiori chewed on an orange, muttering, "Bad person, big bad guy, all he does is bully Shiori-chan..."

“Secondly, you want to stay here to take care of your mother.” Tsukasa Tazaki held her waist with one hand and placed the other on her bouncy little bottom. “Auntie’s health will take some time to recover, and it’s winter now, which is the time when she needs someone to take care of her the most. You don’t want to leave her and go back to Tokyo.”

"It's good that you know," Ninomiya Shiori gently grasped his arm with both hands, feeling the faint warmth of his ten fingers like a dying ember, and sighed with her eyes closed, "Anyway, Shiori-chan has made up her mind, so you can go back by yourself."

"There is a third point."

"What is it?"

“Shiori-chan is a very nice girl.” Tsukasa Tazaki withdrew one hand and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. “You, who can say things like ‘not all girls want to be friends with boys who drive sports cars,’ certainly don’t want to actually be a mistress.”

"Kiki is so smart!"

Shiori Ninomiya exclaimed in admiration, propped herself up on her elbows, tilted her head slightly to look at Tsukasa Tazaki, and a shy yet natural smile appeared on her face.

The firelight shone on her rosy cheeks, which retained the unique rosy hue of a northern girl, giving them a shell-like sheen.

Tsukasa Tazaki pulled both hands back and looked at her.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that her face shape looks more mature than that of a typical sixteen-year-old girl, with an adult-like quality. However, her beautiful appearance and ethereal charm remain unchanged, which is especially pleasing.

“I know what you’re thinking. Let’s discuss a solution,” said Tsukasa Tazaki, his voice melodious, carrying the languid warmth of a fireplace on a winter night.

Shiori Ninomiya's lips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to laugh but was trying her best to hold it back.

"The first problem is entirely your own fault for overthinking." Tsukasa Tazaki picked up the half-eaten orange and said while eating, "There's something I've emphasized many times: even if Miss Kuriyama and Miss Kikawa are both good, they won't be more important to me than you. Besides, Shiori-chan is a rare beauty, and she's smart, positive, and optimistic. Her future might even be better than that of a club president who's going to commit suicide at twenty-five. Why are you feeling inferior?"

"Huh?" Shiori Ninomiya was stunned for a moment, her eyes wide as she asked, "Suicide? What suicide? What did Sakura do?"

“I’ll handle that problem, you don’t need to worry.” Tsukasa Tazaki handed her a segment of orange. “We’re discussing your problem now, so please don’t run away from it.”

"Awoo~" Ninomiya Shiori raised her paw and smacked him, then turned her back to him and secretly took out her phone, turning on the recording function. "Of course I feel inferior. Sakura is so much prettier than me, don't you think?"

"She has a flat chest."

"Well, Kikawa-kun has a better figure and looks than me."

"She has a terrible personality."

"Hmm, ask Kiki one more time." Ninomiya Shiori turned around, her hands behind her back, "Out of the three high school girls, isn't Shiori-chan the cutest?"

Unaware of the little cutie's mischievous intentions, Tsukasa Tazaki nodded blankly: "From the perspective of how comfortable it is to be alone, Shiori-chan is definitely the most comfortable."

Shiori Ninomiya immediately sent the recording to the group chat, then snapped her fingers coolly: "Done!"

"...?"

Tazaki Tsukasa suddenly shuddered, snatched her phone, and listened again to his own death declaration.

孽 孽!

How am I supposed to live after offending both of those young ladies?

As if a movie had been paused, Tsukasa Tazaki stared at the innocent and adorable country girl for a long time, then, all his strength left him, and his phone slipped from his fingers and hit his face with a "smack".

Hokkaido is amazing.

Not only does it have beautiful northern scenery, but it also has a lovely girl with a darker side, which is truly touching.

"Hehe~" Shiori Ninomiya chuckled slyly a few times, then immediately suppressed her smile and sat down obediently like a housewife, her expression very shy.

After waiting a while, seeing that Tazaki Tsukasa didn't seem inclined to pursue the matter, she smiled again, snuggled back into his arms, and gripped his collar with both hands: "First problem solved, what about the second one?"

“I’ll settle the score with you when we get back to Tokyo…” Tsukasa Tazaki shook his head helplessly. “This problem will be much easier to solve. I gave Auntie her second pill this afternoon, and she’ll definitely recover much faster. If all else fails, we can hire someone to come and take care of her, or take her to Tokyo and let my aunt make the arrangements.”

"The second pill?"

"Yeah, this stuff is really precious. There are only three left now." Tsukasa Tazaki slapped his cheek and said regretfully, "If only I hadn't eaten them in the first place, I would have kept them all for emergencies."

"Fool!"

Ninomiya Shiori cursed at him, gripping his arm tightly with both hands, tears welling in her eyes, "How can you expect me to return something like this to you, Shiori-chan...?"

"You don't need to pay me back." Tsukasa Tazaki put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her eyes. "I only took it out to use because I like you. No matter how precious something is, it can't compare to your energetic and lively smile."

My body feels warm, with a comforting dampness.

The dim firelight illuminated her cheeks, making her tears glisten.

“You are in my heart,” Tsukasa Tazaki said. “In the past two months, whenever I couldn’t see you, I would close my eyes and see you appear before me, shining in my memory.”

Shiori Ninomiya nodded gently, gazing intently at him with her tear-filled eyes.

"I can read your heart, I can understand and love you. You are not lost or lonely, you are in my heart, and no one can take you away."

"I hate it, I hate it, I hate it~" Shiori Ninomiya pounded his chest hard, choking back tears as she asked, "What about the third point? How can I agree to the third point?"

"I don't know what to do either." Tsukasa Tazaki gave a wry smile. "Unless you're willing, there's nothing I can do."

One side must compromise, otherwise it will just be like riding a carousel.

No one can surpass anyone else, no one can get close to anyone else, and they will always keep the same distance as each other while running forward.

"It hurts, Shiori-chan, I feel so bad..." Ninomiya Shiori suddenly propped herself up with both hands, looking down at Tazaki Tsukasa, "You have a girlfriend, I won't do such a pathetic thing. It's too pathetic to do that!"

Her tone was very intense, and Tsukasa Tazaki nodded silently.

The soft firelight combined with the bright electric light clearly highlighted the contours of her ears. Even with enough heat, the kotatsu felt icy cold.

"Eat the orange, don't waste it." Tsukasa Tazaki handed over the last segment of orange in his hand.

Shiori Ninomiya opened her mouth and bit down.

It tastes weird.

It tastes like chocolate-flavored candy.

She instinctively wanted to vomit, but Tsukasa Tazaki grabbed her waist and silenced her with his lips.

"Woo~"

Shiori Ninomiya instinctively struggled to sit up, tears welling up uncontrollably in her eyes.

The firewood in the stove crackled and popped, creating a relaxed atmosphere; tonight was a particularly leisurely winter night.

After the little cutie was forced to swallow the qi and blood medicine, and after taking the opportunity to bully her for a while, Tsukasa Tazaki finally released her lips.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore..." Shiori Ninomiya seemed to have made up her mind. She suddenly stood up and ran upstairs without saying a word. After taking only a few steps, she became dizzy from lack of oxygen, lost her balance, and swayed twice before falling to the floor.

Fortunately, Tsukasa Tazaki reacted quickly and caught her before she fell, then carried her back to the kotatsu.

"Ugh!" Shiori Ninomiya scolded, her rosy cheeks looking even sweeter than the persimmons she had eaten during the day.

"Now you only have two Qi and Blood Medicine pills left." Tsukasa Tazaki looked at her with a smile and kissed her earlobe. "Although I can't force you, I still know how to use some tricks."

"You're awful! Tokyoites are awful!" Shiori Ninomiya curled up and pounded her fist on his chest again and again. "If I don't go back to Tokyo, are you planning to have someone kidnap me and take me back?"

“I do plan to,” Tsukasa Tazaki replied earnestly. “Either I won’t get involved in your life in the first place, or if I do, I won’t abandon you halfway through. Anyway, I’m quite selfish in some ways…”

"Go to sleep, I don't want to talk to you."

Shiori Ninomiya pushed him away and walked up the stairs, not forgetting to warn him, "Go take a shower right now, or don't come into my room."

I took a shower by myself and dried my hair.

When Tsukasa Tazaki went up to the second floor, Shiori Ninomiya was standing in front of her room, showing no intention of going in.

"What's wrong?" He walked over.

“I’ll sleep in my mother’s room…” As she spoke, Shiori Ninomiya avoided his gaze, lowered her head and walked to the other side, looking as if she had been caught after her crime was exposed.

"I promise I won't move." Tsukasa Tazaki swept her up by the waist and carried her back to the room, then threw her onto the bed.

"Bad guy!"

"pretty good."

"What's good about it?"

"If I didn't act a little more aggressively, how would I be able to bring you back?"

After saying that, Tsukasa Tazaki hugged her again, etching that warmth into his heart.

The next morning, when I got up and went outside, I saw that the wind and snow that had raged all night seemed to have stopped a few hours earlier.

Shiori Ninomiya went to the window, covered her brow with her hand, and gazed into the distance.

The bright sunlight illuminated the rooftops of the neighboring houses, and the sound of a car starting up came from somewhere.

"Good morning," Tsukasa Tazaki hugged her from behind, tilting his head to kiss her sun-drenched, fair face. "Take me to feed the ducks, and say goodbye to them while we're at it."

A vast, azure sky, terraced fields layered upon layer, sparse town buildings… Ninomiya Shiori leaned against him, gazing at the landscape where she had lived for fifteen years.

perhaps.

It really is time to say goodbye.