My love index is at its maximum.

"no problem."

"Call me 'Mom' and let me hear it."

"……mom."

“Good boy~ Where’s Xiao Wei? Let her come and talk to me.”

Looking at Yui Kawakawa, whose eyes were tightly closed, Tsukasa Tazaki chuckled and said, "Yui is pretending to be asleep and won't wake up."

The mother paused for a few seconds, then laughed without a shred of sympathy: "Hahaha~ Quickly open the video, let me see what my good daughter looks like now, she must be so cute, right? Oh no, Auntie can't wait to fly to Kyoto!"

Sikawa Yui: "...?"

I really regret it now.

There's no way I could wake up; there's absolutely no way I could wake up at a time like this.

If I open my eyes and my mom sees me looking like this, I might as well just move to another city.

And you, Tsukasa Tazaki!

If you dare to turn on the video, you're dead!

The blonde girl, who had given up all hope, suddenly felt a faint light illuminating her eyelids, revealing a thin, blood-red membrane.

Tsukasa Tazaki held up his phone, pointing the camera at his older brother.

The light from the phone screen illuminated her delicate face, revealing her neat eyebrows, high nose bridge, peach-colored, moist lips, and a thin layer of sweat on her cheeks caused by shyness—all displaying the captivating charm of a beautiful young woman.

"Wow, Xiaowei is so cute, Mommy wants to give her a kiss~"

Kikawa Yui took a deep breath.

Suppressing the urge to smash her phone, she slowly shrank her neck and scurried under the covers.

"I'll hang up now, we'll talk again when I get back to Tokyo."

Tsukasa Tazaki hung up the phone and shrank into the blankets.

In the stuffy, cramped, and dark space, the two stared at each other.

Lukewarm breaths drifted across the tip of her nose, slowly tracing the lines of her cheeks, circulating endlessly in the blankets.

Tsukasa Tazaki reached out and grasped the maple leaf necklace: "There are some things that have to be said, and it doesn't take much time. But maybe no matter how much time we have, we can't explain them. Are you willing to waste your time with me?"

Qichuan Wei gently shook her head.

There's no need to force an explanation. Instead of wasting time explaining, it's better to spend it filling in the gaps between the two of you little by little—and if those gaps can't be filled, then we'll make other plans.

"Let bygones be bygones. We must never let things turn out like this again; it's heartbreaking."

"I don't remember very clearly."

Kichikawa Yui kept her eyes closed and breathed softly, "When you first saw me this morning, did you cry?"

"Yes, it was the first time I cried because of someone else."

Tazaki Tsukasa smiled in the darkness, feeling her warm breath against his chest: "I'm a very proud person, so please don't do this anymore, otherwise I'll get angry and scold you like I did today."

When Qichuan Wei opened her eyes, two snow-white arms were tightly wrapped around him.

"Do you like me?" she asked.

When she asked this question, Yui Kichikawa was very confident; she was very proud of her body and appearance.

Her face is flawless, with sapphire eyes that captivate countless people. Her body is also perfect; through years of consistent exercise, the lines of her waist and legs are stunningly beautiful, and she has not an ounce of excess fat.

"Like I said, it takes time to sort things out and summarize." Tsukasa Tazaki pulled back the blanket, letting the two of them breathe in some fresh air.

After saying that, he pressed her close to him. "I can say for sure that I like the way Xiaowei looks when she is studying and working seriously, I like the different outfits Xiaowei wears, I like the shy look on Xiaowei's face when I tease her, and I like the feeling when Xiaowei kisses me."

Does this count as liking someone?

For no apparent reason, Yui Kikkawa started to get angry.

She had no idea what liking someone meant, so she couldn't tell whether what Tsukasa Tazaki was saying could be considered liking someone.

"Where's Yui?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked.

"I can't quite put my finger on it..." Yui Kichikawa bit her lower lip, her cheeks burning. "What I can say for sure is that I feel very embarrassed being held by you like this, but I don't want to leave."

Tsukasa Tazaki hugged her slender waist even tighter: "Continue."

"Hmm~"

Qichuan Wei's small mouth opened slightly: "I want to be held by you like this forever, I don't want you to hug other women."

"anything else?"

I enjoy being with you.

How much do you like it?

Kikawa Yui pressed her hands against the back of his head, her body trembling slightly: "Sometimes, I can't wait to see you right away. For example, before get out of class is over, I want to run out of the classroom and sit with you in Class F."

Tsukasa Tazaki affirmed, "This is definitely something I like."

“I only said sometimes,” Yui patted his forehead, emphasizing each word, then paused for 30 seconds to feel his action before emphasizing again, “I really enjoy the two of us being together, but I’m not willing to be together from morning till night. Especially when you can’t completely belong to me, I’m very rational about that, so I can’t say for sure that I like you.”

"We need to gain a deeper understanding."

"It's not that I don't like you, it's just that you often make me feel upset."

"To make a perfect girl upset because of me," Tsukasa Tazaki said, looking at her thin lips, "is a small step for me personally, but a giant leap for mankind!"

"I'm serious, please don't treat this as a joke!"

Qichuan immediately sat up, staring intently at his face. "Besides, I'm saying this for your own good. You're not unaware of how awful and difficult I am to get along with. Is there anyone else besides me?"

“Yes,” Tsukasa Tazaki answered honestly, “Kuriyama’s personality is just as bad as yours.”

Yui Kichikawa lay back down: "Hmm~ that's true!"

"Going on, the future direction is still unclear, and we need to continue to find a way."

“Anyway, I enjoy being with you,” she said, “but definitely not because I like you. Think about it, who would like a womanizer? It’s not like I have no one who likes me…”

"People who like Yui can line up from Yotsuya all the way to Tokyo Tower."

Yui Kichikawa murmured softly, "That's why I don't want to be with you."

"Didn't you say you liked being with me?" Tsukasa Tazaki knew the reason, but still asked, "Then why don't you want to be with me?"

"You're so long-winded!"

Kikawa Yui suddenly pushed him away, then climbed off the bed, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains.

Outside the window, the twilight of Kyoto was quite charming, with red maple leaves everywhere. Under the setting sun, the surrounding mountains looked as if they had been stained with blood.

"Tsukasa Tazaki!"

Yui Kikawa shouted, then pointed to the sun that was about to set behind the mountains, "Please disappear along with the sun!"

Tazaki asked, "Is it cold?"

"Are you stupid? When the sun goes down, it just moves to the other side of the earth; its temperature doesn't decrease!"

"Aren't you cold?"

It was late autumn, and the sight of her standing by the window, her breath steaming in the cold air, looked very chilly.

After being reminded, the blonde girl seemed to realize this, so she quickly crawled back into bed.

"Silly girl." Tsukasa Tazaki pulled her into his arms. Her body was icy cold, and the tip of her nose against his neck was just as cold.

Kirikawa Yui gritted her teeth and cursed, "Damn it!"

"What's so abhorrent about it?"

"You've seen my whole body!"

"It's more than just looking."

You're responsible!

"You're the one who doesn't want me to take responsibility, aren't you?"

"That's right, who needs you to take responsibility? I, Qichuan Yui, can live a good life without anyone!"

"I believe."

"Then hurry up and let go of me!"

"I don't want to." Tsukasa Tazaki hugged her tightly, through her soft skin, "I like Yui's warm body, I like Yui's golden hair, I like to hear Yui's soft breathing when she's asleep, and of course, what I like most is Yui's beautiful legs in white stockings."

"I like you."

"Ok?"

I said, I like you!

"Of course I know."

"Okay, now I don't like you anymore."

"Why did you stop liking it so quickly?"

"Because you didn't kiss me just now!"

Is it too late to kiss now?

"late!"

"How about giving me another chance?" Tsukasa Tazaki looked at her face, those sapphire eyes, a beautiful thing he could never tire of looking at.

"……Um."

Tsukasa Tazaki placed his hands on her shoulders, and his lips just touched hers.

"That's enough!" Kikawa Yui suddenly reached out and covered his lips. "If I hadn't said that yesterday, I might have let you kiss me. Now, there's absolutely no way!"

"I understand." Tsukasa Tazaki didn't press the issue and obediently held her in his arms. "Anyway, you can't run away, so let's take it slow."

Where does your confidence come from?

"Because I'm sure you like me."

How do you determine that?