My love index is at its maximum.

“Alright, Grandma,” Tsukasa Tazaki stepped forward and took the old woman’s arm. “Shikami is still young. It’s normal for her to be a little playful and lively. She’ll change when she grows up. You don’t need to worry so much.”

"How could I not worry?" Grandma Hoshino sighed and shook her head. "Sakura left early, Takeo is a rough man, and Hanami is too busy with work to take care of her..."

Tsukasa Tazaki replied, "Isn't there me?"

His kind smile, handsome features, and the refined, scholarly air that emanated from his very bones instantly calmed Grandma Hoshino down.

"Xiao Si, please take good care of and educate Lu Jian at school."

"It's my duty."

"That's good." Grandma Hoshino looked at the hiking trail dyed red by maple leaves and gently patted the back of Tsukasa Tazaki's hand: "Go hiking, and talk to Grandma while you're at it."

[Saved! Thank goodness for Tozaki! Hoshino Shikami Stock Index rose 10 points, current stock price: 191]

A notification popped up from the system, and Tsukasa Tazaki laughed heartily, "Alright!"

The two walked forward slowly.

Behind him, the three women looked at Tsukasa Tazaki with different expressions.

Hoshino Hanami: What a man with so many hidden thoughts!

Kuriyama Sakura: A man we must be even more wary of!

Hoshino Shikami: My brother-in-law is amazing!

Arashiyama is a large area, with dense forests on both sides of the hiking trails, mostly maple trees. The leaves have turned almost completely red, and the pointed treetops after the leaves have fallen stretch towards the gloomy sky.

With each gust of wind, the branches sway to the right, and fiery red maple leaves flutter down from the air.

Along the way, we encountered many students wearing Beichuan school uniforms.

Upon seeing Tsukasa Tazaki, they all looked extremely surprised. When they saw Hanami Hoshino and Sakura Kuriyama behind them, their expressions became even more blank.

When someone came over to say hello, Tsukasa Tazaki nodded politely and smiled occasionally.

There was no explanation.

It's hard to explain...

As for what they'll say, let them say it.

There's no law that says students can't have a good relationship with their teacher's grandmother, right?

At the top of the mountain, there's an observation deck with a vending machine and many tourists. From the observation deck, you can overlook the entire Arashiyama area and the streets of Kyoto, with an unobstructed view. It seems to be facing east, and in the bright autumn light, you can see the ancient top of the five-story pagoda.

"Wow, so beautiful!" Hoshino Shikami leaned forward, her upper body slightly jutting out from under the railing of the observation deck, and shouted at the autumn leaves covering the mountains and the distant scenery, "Ah~ Shikami is the king of the world!"

Tsukasa Tazaki was beside her, gently tugging at the hem of her clothes, as if afraid that the King of the World might accidentally die at the young age of sixteen.

On the benches for tourists to rest in, Hoshino Hanami was talking to her grandmother, while Kuriyama Sakura let out a deep sigh of exhaustion.

We cannot be too harsh on the minister.

As she climbed, the altitude increased continuously, and in terms of exercise, this trip was probably equivalent to half a month of her training.

Tsukasa Tazaki glanced back at the beautiful Rui.

A thin layer of fine sweat covered the minister's delicate face. The beads of sweat glistened in the sunlight, making her look youthful and energetic. Several tourists taking pictures of the scenery nearby subconsciously adjusted their camera positions to frame her and the scenery behind her in their viewfinders.

"Sister, sister," Hoshino Shikami, having finished her chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) phase, skipped back to her sister's side and acted coquettishly, "Did you hear that sound just now? Wasn't Shikami incredibly cool?"

"Mmm-hmm." Hoshino Hanami nodded perfunctorily, then turned to Tazaki Tsukasa, raising her eyebrows and glaring: "Tazaki Tsukasa, you've done so many bad things, even Shikami has been corrupted by you. Write a 5000-word self-criticism and hand it in today!"

"Hanami," Grandma Hoshino said, displeased, and immediately began to lecture her eldest granddaughter, "I can't control what you do in class, but don't bring it home, you know? A family should act like a family, and be more harmonious."

My older sister gritted her teeth and said, "I know..."

Kuriyama Sakura covered her mouth and laughed happily.

In her eyes, this whole family was very interesting; the older sister, the younger sister, and even the scumbag boyfriend were all worth spending a lot of time with.

Tsukasa Tazaki walked up to the vending machine.

I took out my wallet and bought four bottles of purified water and a can of blue Coke.

I opened the can and took a big gulp of slightly chilled soda. The abundant carbon dioxide exploded in my mouth, and a cool breeze blew over my body, which was slightly warm from exercise—it felt wonderful.

He took the drinks back to the bench and distributed them to the four people.

More and more tourists gathered at the observation deck. Among them, four girls from Kitagawa, who were traveling together, saw Tsukasa Tazaki and called out from afar, "Hey, Tazaki-kun~"

Tsukasa Tazaki looked up.

As if they had rehearsed it, the four of them spoke in unison: "We all like you!"

After saying that, the four girls scattered in a panic.

Grandma Hoshino narrowed her eyes, as if recalling something, and said, "Tsukasa has always been very popular. A while ago, Takeo showed me the video of you participating in the Jade Dragon Flag competition. You and that blonde foreign girl were very close, weren't you?"

"..." Tazaki Tsukasa really wanted to catch up with those four girls right now and reject them with the harshest words!

"Tsk~ It's alright." Hoshino Hanami looked at her boyfriend, who was struggling with how to explain, and gave him a meaningful look: "That little girl is just a friend he grew up with in the Kikawa family. Grandma, you don't need to worry about her."

Dear elder sister, please accept my bow.

Tazaki Tsukasa clasped his hands together in his heart and bowed respectfully.

"Oh, oh." Grandma Hoshino turned to look at her granddaughter.

Before her grandmother could ask any questions, Hoshino Shikami shook her head vigorously, her braided hair swaying as she did so: "Shikami doesn't know, Shikami doesn't understand, don't ask Shikami anything."

Grandma Hoshino looked bewildered.

She had been thinking of asking her granddaughter what she wanted to eat for dinner so she could have the groceries bought now. But now, with her granddaughter acting like this, she felt like she could dig up some juicy gossip just by asking.

As expected of you, you idiot Shikami!

Seeing this, Kuriyama Sakura slowly said, "It's about time to go down the mountain."

"Let's go once we've rested," Tsukasa Tazaki said eagerly.

Hoshino Shikami, holding a half-empty bottle of mineral water in both hands, said, "Let's rest a little longer. I think Sakura is still very tired. It would be troublesome if she fainted from exhaustion."

Kuriyama Sakura stood up: "I want to go see Togetsukyo Bridge."

“Then let’s go down the mountain.” Grandma Hoshino also stood up and looked towards the other side of the mountain. “It would be good to go see Togetsukyo Bridge. It’s very beautiful at this time of year. We should go see it sooner rather than later.”

The downhill path leading to Togetsukyo Bridge is equally arduous, and as noon approaches, the number of tourists increases.

Kuriyama Sakura followed slowly behind.

She had no urgent destination and no high expectations for Togetsukyo Bridge; she simply wanted to wander freely in the gentle mountain breeze.

Chapter 285 School Trip (15)

After descending from Arashiyama, I passed by Tenryu-ji Temple.

As expected, the route from here to Togetsukyo Bridge was packed with tourists.

Hoshino Shikami pulled Kuriyama Sakura to stand in front of a large expanse of maple leaves for a photo, while the photographer was Tazaki Tsukasa, who still looked radiant even among the crowd.

Hoshino Hanami accompanied her grandmother into Tenryu-ji Temple to worship the Buddha statues, buy amulets, and purchase ema (votive plaques) to write down her wishes.

In front of the temple was a bustling commercial street with many unique shops and vendors selling snacks and fast food. The aroma of food wafting from all directions quickly caught Hoshino Shikami's attention.

"Tazaki, Shikami is hungry~"

The little rascal patted his tummy and looked longingly at his brother-in-law: "Let's go buy some food together!"

"What would you like to eat?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked.

"Croquettes, fried chicken cutlets, meat buns, oden... Oh, right, what does Sakura want?"

“I don’t need it.” Kuriyama Sakura looked at Tazaki Tsukasa and warned, “We’re going back soon, so don’t buy her too much to eat, or she won’t be able to eat lunch.”

Tsukasa Tazaki nodded: "Mhm."

Then, he couldn't help but let out a rather strange smile.

The minister's tone was just like a mother warning her father not to buy snacks for his daughter.

Noticing his strange smile, Kuriyama Sakura stood still, staring straight at him: "Judging from your expression, I must have suffered some kind of lewd treatment in your mind again."

“Absolutely not,” Tsukasa Tazaki shook his head in protest, and said seriously, “It was a very warm and happy treatment.”

Kuriyama Sakura could never know what his warm and happy moments in the air were like.

But I imagine it must be something that would give me goosebumps.

For example... kissing yourself?

"Give up your fantasies," the minister said smugly, puffing out his chest. "I would never have anything sweet or happy with a disgusting leg fetishist."

Tsukasa Tazaki noticed this.

Normally her chest was flat, but when she stood up, it had grown to a certain size—although it was still the smallest among the women, it was a huge improvement compared to when she was in the spring.

"Minister, I'm quite curious..."

After saying that, Tsukasa Tazaki turned and walked towards the snack shop. Sakura Kuriyama subconsciously followed him and asked side by side, "What are you curious about?"

Why do you now insist that I have a good impression of you before we can discuss anything?

Kuriyama Sakura tilted her head, looking puzzled: "Isn't that right?"

She looks incredibly cute, the cutest of all the people I know.

Tazaki Tsukasa knew this a long time ago. He didn't feel like he had gained anything before, but now he realized that the department head only showed such a cute attitude when facing him, so he had really hit the jackpot.

“No, you’re way too narcissistic.” Tazaki Tsukasa shook his head as he watched the rickshaws rush past him. “You’ve been like this from the very beginning. It’s a good thing you’ve been good-natured and tolerated it, otherwise you still wouldn’t have a single friend.”

"It's okay, you still like me the same way."

As she said this, Kuriyama Sakura resumed her usual indifferent expression, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Minister, would you consider having a prefrontal lobotomy?"

"You'd better tidi up your words, unless you want to go to Hokkaido to grow potatoes." Kuriyama Sakura looked at him with a cold smile, but her eyes were terrifying and there was no hint of a smile.

“That’s a good suggestion,” Tsukasa Tazaki nodded. “The scenery in Shiori’s village is very beautiful. I’ll take you there for a few days sometime.”

"If we're going to go, we should be looking for Shiori. Why do we need you to take me?"

"I'm at least half a master!"