My love index is at its maximum.

Tsukasa Tazaki stretched his aching arm and held out his hand: "Money!"

"what?"

"You've watched for so long, isn't it fair to give you some performance fee?"

"Go to hell!" Kuriyama Sakura grabbed a body pillow and threw it at him.

Tsukasa Tazaki took the cushion with both hands and sat down next to Yui Kikawa: "I'm being honest about separating myself from him, just so you won't look at me through the lens of the past."

"...Let's never see each other again," the blonde girl said, her voice choked with sobs.

“If that’s what you’re asking, no problem.” Tsukasa Tazaki tossed aside the cushion and gently embraced her. “If you feel it’s over, we don’t have to see each other anymore. To be honest, I still can’t figure out our relationship, and I’m trying my best to. Right now, I can’t promise you anything, I can’t ask for anything, and I can’t say sweet words. But this takes time. Give me some time…”

Yui Kawakawa shook her head.

Ten fingers roamed over his back, as if savoring something.

Kuriyama Sakura turned to look out the window, and the moon she saw through the curtains appeared even larger than before.

A breeze blew in, the candlelight flickered, and the curtains swayed against the windowsill.

The candlelight went out shortly afterward.

Yui Kikawa closed her eyes, temporarily immersing herself in darkness.

The trail of light left by the candle lingered on my eyelids, like a wandering soul with nowhere to go, constantly circling.

In the darkness, she tried to reach out several times, the light almost touching her fingertips, but she could no longer reach it.

Like the last flicker of a candle in the wind, the soul will soon vanish.

The wind is stronger than before.

The sobbing sounds were a little eerie, and the late autumn night was dark and cold.

Tsukasa Tazaki still held her close, gently stroking her back.

This is the eldest brother.

Her affection for me was genuine.

When I held her in my arms, her expression was so dazed, her lips so trembling, and her breathing so shallow.

The question is, is this affection based on oneself as an individual, or on shared experiences with "Tsukasa Tazaki"?

Or perhaps the two possibilities are one and the same?

"Yui, can you tell me?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked.

"I don't want to talk about this..." Yui Kichikawa shook her head, her hair rubbing against her clothes, making a slight sound.

“It takes time to sort things out and summarize,” Tsukasa Tazaki gently patted her back. “Just follow your heart. Even if it hurts each other, it’s the right choice in the long run.”

"Why should I accept all this..."

"If possible, I would rather not talk about this. I originally intended to bury this matter in my heart forever. But I have no choice but to talk about it."

Tazaki Tsukasa sighed and patted her head: "Since you've already figured it out, how can I continue with this shameless act? I don't mean to hurt you by saying these things, but I just want you to understand what kind of person I am so that you can make a clearer judgment about the future path. It doesn't matter in front of others, but it's different with you. You know Tazaki Tsukasa as a person, and I don't want to put on a facade in front of you."

"Even though I don't like him, he's really important to me..."

Kikawa buried her face deeply in his shoulder, her body trembling from time to time.

After a while, Kuriyama Sakura stood up and stretched: "It's time to sleep. Tazaki Tsukasa, you should go back to your room and stop getting in the way."

She crawled into her bed and pulled the covers over herself.

in the dark.

The other two remained embracing.

Why aren't you letting go?

Scumbag!

He～tui.

Five more minutes passed.

The two still didn't let go!

The minister abruptly threw off the covers and jumped up.

"It's so hot!"

Tsukasa Tazaki looked at her, puzzled. "The temperature is only around ten degrees Celsius. How can it be hot?"

"Shut up!" Kuriyama Sakura snapped at him, turning on the room's lights. "Since he's dead, stop crying and wailing. How about we hold a funeral for him?"

"Huh?" Tsukasa Tazaki was dumbfounded.

Qichuan Wei raised her head and looked at her very seriously: "Hold a beautiful funeral."

Just do it.

Kuriyama Sakura ran out of the room and got flowers, a fruit basket, a few white candles, and a large bottle of soda from the hotel reception. She dashed back into the room and then dragged Tazaki Tsukasa out again. They wandered around until midnight before finally finding a photo booth and had Tazaki Tsukasa take a half-body black and white photo.

Back in the hotel room, Yui Kichikawa had already made several wreaths with fresh flowers.

The two girls took out a glass, one filled it with soda, and placed it between the wreath and the fruit basket. Then they knelt on either side, staring intently at Tsukasa Tazaki.

"...?"

With a strange expression, Tsukasa Tazaki placed his black and white photo in the middle of the wreath. He thought for a long time but still couldn't understand why he was going along with these two's madness.

"Please light the candles," Kuriyama Sakura reminded him.

"Could you let me smooth this out?" Tsukasa Tazaki shook his head vigorously, pointing to his face. "This is me, right?"

"Yes." The two girls nodded.

Tsukasa Tazaki then pointed to the black-and-white photo in the center of the wreath: "That's me too, right?"

"Yes."

Am I holding a funeral for myself now?

"Stop nagging!" The two girls glared at him fiercely.

"..." Tsukasa Tazaki lit a candle and placed it in front of his photo.

Kikawa Yui placed the fruit basket in front of the wreath as an offering.

Kuriyama Sakura turned off the lights.

In the dark room with the curtains drawn, Tsukasa Tazaki slowly bowed before his photograph.

That's not bad either.

Tazaki Tsukasa thought to herself, "Finally, I've told my older brother about this. I don't have to feel guilty in front of her anymore."

The worship ceremony is complete.

He stood up and stretched his body.

I sat down, intending to eat some fruit offerings to fill my stomach.

"boom!"

Tazaki, the scumbag, fell backward onto the floor after being kicked hard in the shoulder by Kuriyama Sakura.

Followed by.

Black stockings were placed on her left cheek, and white stockings on her right cheek.

The two figures, Black and White Impermanence, looked down at the scumbag's distorted facial muscles and said in a gloomy tone, "We haven't settled the score yet. You don't actually think you've gotten away with this, do you?"

"Eh?"

"and many more……"

"Gently, gently, someone's going to die!!!"

Chapter 276 School Trip (6)

The second day of the school trip.

Tazaki Tsukasa walked into the hotel restaurant while rubbing his sore arm muscles.

The early risers gathered here to eat breakfast together. After breakfast, they would participate in activities according to their pre-assigned groups. Those in relationships dated, while the singles watched their group members date.

"Hey, Tazaki, come here." Murakami Mizuiro greeted him, holding a rice bowl.

Tsukasa Tazaki was about to walk over.

Good morning, Tazaki-san.

Minister Chao looked over and saw her picking out the spinach from the set meal with a look of disgust.

"You also hate spinach?" Tsukasa Tazaki sat down opposite her.

Murakami Mizuro: "?"

Wronged.

I was the one who called you first.

"Don't talk to me." Kuriyama Sakura didn't even bother to give Tazaki Tsukasa a perfunctory reply, and lowered her head to eat her breakfast.

Thinking about what that scumbag said last night, and how he hugged Qichuan Wei for so long in front of her, she didn't want to say a single word to him.

Tsukasa Tazaki turned around and went to get a breakfast. It consisted of grilled eel, stewed potatoes and meat, and a vegetable salad. He didn't order the miso soup made with radish and tofu, but he spent extra money to buy a carton of milk.

"Your hair." He heard Hoshino Hanami's voice as he was engrossed in his meal.

Kuriyama Sakura looked up and glanced at Tazaki Tsukasa.

His hair was messy, with a small tuft sticking up on his forehead, forming a cowlick. She turned to look at Hoshino Hanami again and subconsciously said, "Matching couple's outfits..."

"Did anything interesting happen last night?" Hoshino Hanami sat down with a smile, eagerly putting a whole piece of grilled eel into her mouth.

The eel was cooked to perfection, with tender meat and a unique sauce.

Coupled with her boyfriend's exhausted look, as if he had been through a terrible night, the older sister was in a very good mood while enjoying her breakfast.

Kuriyama Sakura looked away and took a sip of the hot miso soup.