My love index is at its maximum.

Upon reaching the exit, she immediately collapsed from exhaustion and staggered toward a bench for resting. Her little face, pale with fright, was bathed in sunlight.

Kuriyama Sakura kept staring at her.

Just as she was feeling utterly humiliated and on the verge of collapse, the department head turned to Tsukasa Tazaki and smiled slightly: "The NERV Kyoto base is just ahead. There's a 1:1 scale model of Unit-01. Shall we go take a look?"

That smiling face was so beautiful that it healed Tazaki Tsukasa's mind and body, instantly putting him in a completely new state.

Chapter 281 School Trip (11)

Step through a door.

All that comes into view are wooden houses, and the willow trees along the path sway their branches gently in the wind, creating an antique charm that is very similar to a scene often seen in Taiga dramas.

but……

Tsukasa Tazaki looked up and gazed ahead.

A model of EVA Unit-01, over ten meters tall, stands under the blue sky. Its green and purple paint scheme and sci-fi style, reminiscent of a mecha warrior, seem somewhat out of place with the white-walled, black-tiled wooden buildings next to it...

"Wow, Tazaki, look..." Murakami Mizuiro lay down in the middle of the road, looking at the manhole cover with amazement.

Tsukasa Tazaki looked on and asked, "What is that?"

It looks like an ordinary manhole cover, but the edges are marked with the words "NERV No. 3 New Kyoto City Waterworks Bureau" in Chinese and English letters, and the NERV symbol is printed in the middle.

Ok.

If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.

This manhole cover has a very Japanese style.

“Come on,” Murakami Mizusaki pulled him down to squat down, “Let’s take a picture together to remember this moment.”

Tsukasa Tazaki asked curiously, "Are you an EVA fan?"

"no."

"Then why are you so agitated?"

“I’m Asahi… cough cough,” Murakami Mizuiro cleared her throat, “I’m a Rei Ayanami fan!”

"Shut up!" the bespectacled man squeezed in. "Rei Ayanami is mine."

After the photos were taken, the girls from Class D also pulled Tazaki Tsukasa to take a group photo, while Murakami Mizuiro squatted in front of them with her phone to help take pictures.

Yui Kikawa walked up behind Murakami, blinked her clear and calm eyes, stared at Tsukasa Tazaki without saying a word, just staring at him.

Then... those girls obediently left.

“Kikawa-kun,” Murakami Mizuiro turned around, her voice trembling as she expressed her loyalty, “you saw it yourself, those girls came over to take pictures with me on their own initiative, I didn’t ask them. I will always be Kikawa-kun’s most loyal servant, and I would never do anything to harm you!”

Kikawa Yui glared at him disdainfully and walked forward.

At the entrance to the base.

Kuriyama Sakura didn't go in first, but waited at the entrance for Tazaki Tsukasa to be pulled aside for a photo.

Next to her stood several lifelike character portraits.

It was Kaworu Nagisa, Rei Ayanami, Shinji Ikari, Asuka Langley Soryu, and Mari Makinami who came out to sell themselves while wearing kimonos.

Two minutes later, Tsukasa Tazaki, who had also attracted the attention of tourists, appeared beside her.

The minister was about to speak.

"Yui~" Tazaki Tsukasa ignored her and waved to Yui Kichikawa next to him: "Come here, let's take a picture together!"

?

Kuriyama Sakura: "...!"

We shouldn't have come to a place like this!

Yui Kikawa walked over, her gaze passing over Tsukasa Tazaki and landing on Sakura Kuriyama: "Together?"

"No, I'm not used to having three people." Kuriyama Sakura crossed her arms and answered with a slight smile, her gaze falling on Tazaki Tsukasa: "How about you choose someone to take a picture with?"

"Hmm, that's a good suggestion." Yui Kikawa nodded slightly, her eyes also fixed on Tsukasa Tazaki, who was standing in the middle. "Choose one?"

Quiet.

Tourists all around looked over, gloating as they watched the spectacle unfold.

The man had slightly messy hair and was simply dressed in a white shirt and suit pants; he was so handsome that it was impossible to look away. As for the two stunningly beautiful girls, their beauty goes without saying.

Judging from the three people's posture, it was clear that the atmosphere was somewhat tense, with only an arm's length between them.

"See, he deserved it..." Murakami Mizuiro laughed as if he had gotten his revenge, putting his arms around the shoulders of the other two boys, looking like he was enjoying the show.

Hiding behind Kanae Kasuga, Shiori Ninomiya called out in a lively tone, "Kiki, hurry up and choose, I'll be waiting for you inside."

Tsukasa Tazaki ignored her.

To be precise, he hasn't even realized what's happening yet.

He just wanted to invite the blond, blue-eyed older brother to take a picture in front of Asuka's standee. His little intentions were so innocent. But why... did the older brother start arguing with the club president again in the blink of an eye?

“Tasaki-san,” Kuriyama Sakura suppressed a laugh, her eyes turning cold, “if you want to win me over, the most basic requirement is to keep your distance from other girls, right? Please reject this guy in front of you right now, okay?”

"you……"

Are you kidding me?!

Tazaki Tsukasa was puzzled. This guy knew exactly how many people he had seduced, so why was he saying such things now? Was he trying to make fun of him in public?

“Me too,” Yui Kikawa replied briefly.

“Look over there,” Tsukasa Tazaki waved his hand, stiffly changing the subject: “Wow, that’s amazing, it’s a model of Unit-01! Do you two know how tall Unit-01 is?”

It remained quiet.

Suddenly, yellow lights flashed in the eyes of Unit-01 in the distance, and it let out a howl, followed by a command to start.

[First Contact Begins]

[Inject water into the insertion plug]

Main power connection complete.

[Making a second contact]

[Connection Display Interface]

[A10 neural connectivity is normal]

[The water of life is in a normal ionized state]

[Activate communication line]

[Launch Preparation]

The sound abruptly stopped there; the model Unit-01 had failed to launch, and the Human Instrumentality Project remained indefinitely delayed...

cough cough.

Far away.

Centered between the two girls, Tsukasa Tazaki struggled to regain her composure and carefully considered her words: "Hmm... you're both excellent, and equally important to me..."

Yes, that's right.

The eldest brother is meticulous and responsible; the minister is intelligent and easy to talk to; the other two have very nice legs, equally beautiful.

"Eek~"

It's unclear who started it, but the onlookers' initially drooling gazes at the handsome guy instantly turned into disdainful looks of "He really is a scumbag."

“However,” Tsukasa Tazaki quickly corrected himself, “Kikawa-san’s personality is too arrogant and needs to be changed. And Kuriyama-san’s sharp tongue needs to be softened.”

How can you find fault with such a beautiful girl?

Immediately, the onlookers all looked at him as if he were a "scumbag".

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

Fine.

In these people's eyes, a beautiful girl probably doesn't even poop.

“This is so disappointing…” Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on her hand and said thoughtfully, “I thought that after reading so many books and learning another language, I would be able to keep up with me, but who knew that you would actually compare me to Kikawa-kun.”

“Indeed, it’s really inappropriate.” Kikawa Yui lifted her skirt and said confidently, “To compare me with someone like Kuriyama-kun who only knows how to read books and has an eccentric personality, it seems that your aesthetic sense and values ​​have become seriously skewed.”

“Wait a minute…” Tazaki Tsukasa looked at Kurikawa Yui and retorted, “Kuriyama-san is not only good at reading, she can also draw and play the piano very well. Most of the time she is just lazy. If she really wanted to learn, there is nothing that would be difficult for her.”

Kuriyama Sakura nodded in satisfaction.

"Painting and piano," Yui Kikawa's voice was cold and clear, responding with a contemptuous sneer, "aren't those things anyone can do? Why would you need to specifically learn them?"

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

Onlookers: "..."

Kuriyama Sakura's lips curled slightly, and she narrowed her eyes.

She didn't intend to speak; instead, she waited for Tsukasa Tazaki to refute her. If Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't handle it, she would then criticize him as well.

"Kikawa-kun, that kind of thinking is wrong," Tazaki Tsukasa said sternly. "As a genius student, you should understand that not everyone has the same conditions as you. For example, I'm just an ordinary high school student. To become better, I insist on running for an hour every morning and swimming in the pool on weekends. I use my spare time to learn a foreign language, read a lot of books to enrich my inner world, and I'm also proficient in kendo, cooking, painting, gardening, and have beautiful handwriting..."

Everyone looked at the boy Tazaki with admiration, who spoke without even taking a breath.

That scumbag is so knowledgeable.

terrible.

As Yui Kichikawa listened, she suddenly burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry..." She covered her lips lightly with her hand, a rare smile on her face. "I can do all of those things you mentioned. Things that can be done simply by working hard are not something to brag about."

At this moment, the way the onlookers looked at the blonde girl changed completely.

Something that can be achieved simply by putting in the effort...

That's true for one or two things, but if so many things come at once, even if you want to work hard, you don't have that much time to do so...

Tazaki Tsukasa sighed helplessly.