My love index is at its maximum.

Haven't you noticed you've become a lot of talkers lately?

"...Is there?"

"Yui, your face is very red," Tsukasa Tazaki reminded her.

"No," Yui Kichikawa calmly denied.

Tsukasa Tazaki pressed his face against hers. "Can you feel the coolness? Not only is your face blushing, but your heart is racing and your body temperature is rising."

"Stay away from me!" Yui Kikawa pushed him away in disgust.

"I'm sorry." Tsukasa Tazaki hugged her tightly, gently rubbing his cheek against her palm.

"What's the use of saying sorry?" Qichuan Wei withdrew her hand and gently bumped his forehead twice to express her dissatisfaction.

The two embraced tightly, immersed in this brief moment of warmth.

Just as Yui Kawakawa was about to fall asleep again, Tsukasa Tazaki's malicious voice rang out.

“Xiao Wei,” he said, “let’s make a bet.”

"What?" Yui Kirikawa asked curiously.

Danger ahead!

Her two previous failed bets told her that Tsukasa Tazaki was definitely setting a trap again. But she couldn't suppress her competitive spirit and wanted to keep going.

“I bet I’ll give up on you completely before the end of this semester,” Tsukasa Tazaki said softly, gently biting her smooth, golden hair.

"Say it again?" Yui Kikawa's body trembled slightly, as if she had heard some terrifying words.

"Since you can't be with me, I guess I'll have to harden my heart," Tsukasa Tazaki said calmly. "Let's make it a rule that I'll give up on you before the end of this semester. It's better for both of us, isn't it?"

"No!" Yui Kichikawa shook her head vigorously. "Damn it, this is not good at all!"

Tazaki Tsukasa coldly replied, "My mind is made up!"

Ok.

Let's leave it at that for now.

My older brother is too arrogant, so I'll just leave it for now and talk to my aunt later. I'll ask her to whisper sweet nothings in my daughter's ear and teach her how to be more proactive and keep a man interested.

"Do you want to die?" Yui Kichikawa clenched her fists, her eyes filled with anger.

Are you sad?

"..."

"I don't want to make you sad, and I don't want to make anyone else sad."

"……it's out of the question."

“Yes, then the only way is for us to go our separate ways.” Tsukasa Tazaki whispered in her ear, “Strong and proud, and always hiding her feelings, Yui is a fool who doesn’t mean what she says. But she’s beautiful, a very proud flower…”

Kikawa Yui lay down expressionlessly, not saying a word, just staring blankly at the ceiling.

Tazaki Tsukasa suddenly rolled over and stared into her eyes.

"Is that okay?" he asked.

"……Um."

Kikawa Yui slowly closed her eyes, her heart pounding like thunder.

When their lips met, her chaotic mind finally made up its mind—even if they were to break up, it would be me dumping you!

Click.

The door opened.

Kuriyama Sakura walked in carrying shopping bags, her eyes twitching slightly.

"Sakura, hurry up and try on the dress I bought today, see if it looks good." Hoshino Hanami pushed her from behind, shoving her into the back of the house, and then followed her in.

"what?"

"Uh……"

Hoshino Hanami couldn't help but raise her delicate eyebrows slightly, her gaze fixed on Tazaki Tsukasa with a mixture of doubt and disbelief.

"Sister," Tsukasa Tazaki shuddered, her smile more like a grimace, "It's not what you think! Please let me explain!"

Kikawa Yui was very flustered.

She silently shrank into the covers, leaving Tsukasa Tazaki alone to face the tiger that was about to go berserk.

Kuriyama Sakura locked the door and smiled sweetly at Tazaki Tsukasa: "What should I write on the epitaph? I can do it for you, Minister."

"It's good that he died at the age of sixteen." Hoshino Hanami walked over, her knuckles cracking as she clenched them.

Tazaki Tsukasa hurriedly knelt up, raised his hands high, and cried out with an extremely tragic expression: "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

"What else do you have to say in your defense?"

"I'm here to save someone, please believe me! Ah~, gently! Minister, please talk to her!!!"

Chapter 278 School Trip (8)

Day three of the school trip.

Tsukasa Tazaki got up very early and started his morning run along the deserted streets of Gion.

Hanamikoji is located on the morning jogging route.

As Kyoto's oldest geisha district, it preserves many buildings from the Edo period and is one of the few places where you can directly see geisha.

The morning was shrouded in mist, and the shops on both sides were closed.

Tsukasa Tazaki ran across the cobblestone path.

Groups of women in kimonos, exuding a nostalgic charm, walk towards us. Their gentle, unintentional bows and graceful, delicate lines bring a sense of joy to the heart.

Back at the hotel, Tsukasa Tazaki leisurely took a shower, while also reviewing the Italian phrases he had memorized on the way there.

I combed my hair in front of the mirror, changed into my neat school uniform, and then went to the cafeteria for breakfast.

In a noisy corner of the restaurant, Murakami Mizuiro and Ninomiya Shiori were discussing today's itinerary—they had agreed last night that the two groups would travel together today.

Tsukasa Tazaki, carrying his tray, looked around the restaurant before sitting down opposite Sakura Kuriyama and Yui Kurikawa.

Good morning, you two beautiful girls.

Good morning. (X2)

Among the greetings, one voice held a hint of disdain, while the other seemed slightly uncomfortable.

correct.

The shy one is the eldest brother.

Yesterday's intimate contact was purely a reaction to his drug use and his irrational mind. Now that he's sober, he'd rather not face Tsukasa Tazaki who tries to talk to him. Right now, he just wants to live on another planet.

Tazaki Tsukasa picked up a fried egg with his chopsticks and stared at his older brother's flushed cheeks: "Are you feeling any better?"

"It's okay, I'll be going now." Qichuan Wei picked up her half-eaten breakfast and was about to leave.

"Eat before you leave." Tsukasa Tazaki tugged at the hem of her shirt.

"Oh……"

The eldest brother obediently sat down and picked up the soup bowl to cover his face.

cute.

While a proud and sharp-tongued perfect girl is certainly admirable, it is the older brother who gradually learns what shyness is that truly begins to captivate people.

Tsukasa Tazaki felt relieved.

The eldest brother has his own feelings, and he shouldn't interfere too much unless absolutely necessary.

Fortunately, she has a strong enough personality and a strong enough mentality to process the absurd and painful facts, and then she can pick herself up and start anew to embrace her perfect life as a young woman.

Kuriyama Sakura stared at Tazaki Tsukasa with a cold gaze for quite a long time.

Just as Tsukasa Tazaki was about to open the system panel to see if his charm had increased to 11 points, the department head finally spoke.

"Your injury is healing quite quickly."

"...How dare you bring this up?"

Speaking of this, Tsukasa Tazaki gets angry.

That wretched woman not only ignored my pleas for help last night, but even brought out a baseball bat for my older sister to use as a weapon!

It's one thing if you don't have big breasts!

She's not even very tolerant; who else but herself could put up with such a nasty woman?

"Why should I be embarrassed?" Kuriyama Sakura put down her chopsticks, crossed her hands and propped her chin up: "As your club president, as the owner of that dormitory room, did you get my permission to do whatever you wanted in there?"

Her expression was like that of Gendo Ikari when he was disciplining his son, her tone full of condescension and reproach.

Tsukasa Tazaki put down his chopsticks and stared at her expressionlessly.

After staring at each other for a while, he said, "Let's play a game of Gwent. The winner can stomp on the other person's face!"

“…That’s shameless.” Kuriyama Sakura couldn’t help but laugh out loud, turning her face away.

Tazaki Tsukasa laughed along: "To be honest, it would be best to bring Xiaoyi along too. I absolutely love the blissful feeling of wearing black and white stockings together."

"Disgusting! Please stay away from me," Yui Kichikawa put down her soup bowl, her face showing undisguised disgust. "If possible, please make me a little more normal, so you won't bother me all day."

“That’s so heartbreaking, Ms. Kikawa.” Before eating breakfast, Tsukasa Tazaki picked up his chopsticks again and recited aloud, “To the world you may be one person, but to me you may be the world.”

(To the world, you may be just an ordinary person, but to me, you may be the whole world.)

Kikawa Yui blinked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

She understood what she meant.

However, she didn't understand why Tsukasa Tazaki was saying such meaningless nonsense.

“A sentence from the original English version of A Tale of Two Cities.” Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on her hand, smiling with a hint of disdain, “It can only be used to fool someone like you who hasn’t read many books and is extremely impoverished in spirit.”

Qichuan Wei glanced at her flat chest: "You've read so many books, how come you haven't become more fulfilled?"