My love index is at its maximum.

“Shameless…” Kuriyama Sakura curled her lip, her gaze drifting towards the mountains and forests opposite the Hozu River.

In autumn, the mountains and forests are scattered with patches of various colors—green, yellow, and red—which reflect in the clear river water, creating a breathtakingly beautiful shimmering scene.

When they returned with the food, Hoshino Hanami was helping her grandmother out. As soon as she saw the bag that Tazaki Tsukasa was carrying, her food radar went off.

then……

On her way from Tenryu-ji Temple to Togetsukyo Bridge, she took a bite of a croquette, then a bite of fried chicken, and before she could even swallow, her mouth was stuffed full of meat buns.

This forces the silly deer to go buy food himself again.

Ok……

understand.

It's almost noon, and she's a foodie, so it's fine for her to have some snacks before lunch. But... isn't it a bit much for you to eat the equivalent of five people's portions by yourself?

“Big sister,” Tsukasa Tazaki sighed tactfully, “I’ll be cooking lunch, so why don’t you save some room?”

"what?"

Hoshino Hanami stared at him: "Are you sure you're going to cook?"

"I guarantee everyone will be satisfied with their meal," Tsukasa Tazaki assured him, patting his chest.

"Then, shall we share some with Sakura?" Hoshino Hanami looked at the bun she had just taken a bite of and the half-eaten chicken cutlet in her hand, and looked at Kuriyama Sakura with pleading eyes.

“I…” Kuriyama Sakura didn’t really want to eat it.

But as soon as she opened her little mouth, a big meat bun was stuffed into it.

It was a rare sight to see the minister with his cheeks puffed out, and Tsukasa Tazaki was so engrossed in watching him that he even felt a sense of happiness, like seeing the squirrel his girlfriend was raising.

Kuriyama Sakura turned around and glared at him.

Seeing her warning look that seemed to say, "Don't laugh at me," Tsukasa Tazaki quickly stopped laughing like an aunt.

"Have some too." Hoshino Hana reached out and shoved a large piece of chicken cutlet into his mouth.

"I……"

"Ok?"

"I love fried chicken cutlets the most." Tsukasa Tazaki took a big bite, and accidentally licked her fingers with her tongue.

"Disgusting!"

Hoshino Hanami withdrew her hand in disgust and gnawed at his teeth marks. After a while, she saw Tazaki Tsukasa swallow his food, then chuckled and handed her the fried chicken cutlet she was enjoying: "Open your mouth."

"Why do I feel like I'm a little piglet being raised by you?" Tsukasa Tazaki obediently took his second bite.

Hoshino Hanami laughed and said, "You've always been a maverick pig."

The two of them ate the same fried chicken cutlet and gradually leaned closer together.

"..." Kuriyama Sakura looked at it for a while, and suddenly felt that the meat bun in her mouth didn't taste good at all.

In front of the three, Grandma Hoshino held her granddaughter's hand, putting the "academic progress" amulet she had just bought from the temple around her neck, while telling her some stories about her mother's life in Kyoto.

Not long after leaving Tenryu-ji Temple, I heard a rustling sound.

Tazaki Tsukasa looked up and found that it was a dense bamboo forest. When the wind blew, the bamboo leaves made a dense rustling sound.

There were so many bamboo stalks that they were countless and grew very tall, stretching overhead together, turning the path into a quiet tunnel.

This is the famous bamboo forest road in Arashiyama.

Many travel programs have highlighted this feature: two rows of bamboo stretch forward like an endless green ocean, with the wind causing the bamboo leaves to sway and creating a cool and refreshing atmosphere throughout the space.

“This place is so beautiful…” Kuriyama Sakura stopped and looked up at the dappled sunlight streaming in. “It’s a pity I didn’t bring my easel, otherwise I could have sketched here.”

The sparse bamboo groves are a distinctive feature of this place.

In Tsukasa Tazaki's view, the bamboo forest in autumn is a kind of decoration for the emotions of the valley.

"Should we go back and get it?" Hoshino Hanami asked.

Having grown up here, she was used to the vast bamboo forests surrounding Kyoto and wasn't particularly surprised by the scenery here. However, if Sakura liked it, she would be happy to spend an afternoon with her here.

"No need." Kuriyama Sakura took out her phone. "Just take a few photos and you can refer to the painting when you get back."

"Come on, let's take a picture together." Hoshino Hanami pulled her along, looking left and right to find the perfect angle for the photo.

It was noon.

There was wind and sunshine. The warm sunlight shone through the gaps in the bamboo forest, and with the pleasant sounds, the bamboo leaves seemed to come alive, turning into clusters of dragonfly wings, playing and frolicking with the sunlight.

After choosing a good angle for taking photos, Hoshino Hanami called out, "Tazaki, come and take a picture for us."

Tsukasa Tazaki walked over, took the phone with the cat-shaped case from the department head, and pointed it at the two of them.

In the scene, Hoshino Hanami has her arms wrapped around Kuriyama Sakura's shoulders, her head tilted slightly towards her, and a straightforward and cheerful smile on her face. As for the club president, her cheeks are slightly flushed, and she seems a little shy, her bangs swaying gently in the autumn breeze.

The sunlight falling on the bamboo leaves, like transparent little fish, swam swiftly onto the two women, one big and one small.

Tsukasa Tazaki held his breath, his heart pounding faster than ever.

The moment he pressed the shutter, he felt a slight ringing in his ears and could only hear a sound like sea breeze blowing through rusty barbed wire.

At the same time.

A scene I had never seen before came to mind.

A small light appeared at the end of the dark corridor, dim and flickering, like a glimmer of light leaking through several layers of curtains.

He held onto the wall and walked forward until he came to a room.

I pushed open the door and looked inside.

Hoshino Hanami is sleeping in an embrace with a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, with light streaming in through the blinds at the head of the bed.

He stood in front of the door, staring at the two of them for a long time.

Then I went inside, and as soon as I took my first step, all the images suddenly disappeared.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" Hoshino Hanami tapped his forehead and asked in confusion.

Coming back to his senses, Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't help but laugh, "You two are so good-looking that I'm having hallucinations."

“I’ve already told you I’m cute,” Kuriyama Sakura said as she approached him with a dismissive smile. “Well, now you can’t call me narcissistic anymore, right?”

"It's true that she's cute, and it's also true that she's narcissistic; the two are not contradictory."

“Judgments based on facts,” Kuriyama Sakura’s cheeks puffed out slightly, “cannot be called narcissism. On the contrary, your assumption that I have feelings for you without any basis in facts is pure narcissism!”

“Excuse me, we’re the same kind,” Tazaki Tsukasa said, as if he were insulting himself. “I’m 100% narcissistic, and you’re 100% narcissistic too.”

"Why would someone like you consider me one of your own kind? It's infuriating."

"Indeed, although your charm is about the same as mine, you are far inferior to me in other aspects. Being like you really lowers my standards."

"That's incredibly naive. Do you think you're living off bone marrow reflexes?"

"What a stupid question."

"Look how silly I am. I find you increasingly difficult to get along with. Even a single-celled organism that can only move is more pleasing to the eye than you."

"You're just jealous, don't you know that?!"

"What are you jealous of?"

"You're jealous that my breasts are bigger than yours after I became a catgirl!"

"...I didn't care about that!"

The two of them started arguing back and forth, while Hoshino Hanami watched the commotion from the sidelines, occasionally adding firewood to the fire, hoping they would start fighting.

Tourists came and went, passing by the three of them as they quietly admired the scenery, enjoying the gentle autumn breeze.

During halftime, both players replenished their fluids and prepared for the second half.

"Stop!" Hoshino Hanami stood in the middle, separating the two: "Grandma and Shikami are almost home, can't you two be a little more sensible?"

Kuriyama Sakura glared fiercely at Tazaki Tsukasa, then turned and grabbed Hoshino Hanami's right arm: "Sister, let's go to Togetsukyo Bridge, let's ignore that scumbag."

“Sister, let’s go to Togetsukyo Bridge,” Tazaki Tsukasa immediately took Hoshino Hanami’s left hand and intertwined their fingers: “That kind of nasty young lady is not like us.”

Hoshino Hanami turned her head to the left and right, glancing at the two of them, and gave them a look that was both funny and exasperated.

After leaving the bamboo forest, walk a few hundred meters further and you will see a bridge that is supposed to be built over the Hozu River. The main structure is made of reinforced concrete, while the bridgeheads and railings are made of wood.

A number of rickshaw drivers, all wearing white T-shirts with the character "岚" (Lan) on the back, had gathered at both ends of the bridge. Many pigeons were on the bridge, unafraid of people, and numerous tourists bought food to feed them.

“That’s Togetsukyo Bridge.” Hoshino Hanami looked at the bridge, which was about 150 meters long, and said in a popular science style, “It is said that during the Heian period, Emperor Kameyama described this bridge as ‘like walking across an endless expanse of moonlight,’ hence the name ‘Togetsukyo Bridge.’ Doesn’t that sound quite charming?”

Tsukasa Tazaki knows this place fairly well.

Of course, he has never been there in person, but since Togetsukyo Bridge has been a favorite of Japanese literati since ancient times and appears in various historical anecdotes or literary works, he has experienced it many times.

Reaching the bridgehead, Kuriyama Sakura let go of Hoshino Hanami and Tazaki Tsukasa, leaving them behind, and went to the bridge alone. Below her was a riverbed covered with pebbles, where people were taking pictures and walking their dogs; the atmosphere was very pleasant.

As Tazaki Tsukasa watched her slender figure from behind, he suddenly remembered that Togetsukyo Bridge was also known as the Lovers' Bridge, and there was a saying that said: "All couples who walk across this bridge will love each other forever and never be separated."

Minister probably knows what that means... He turned around and met Hoshino Hanami's clear and transparent gaze.

She spoke softly in Tsukasa Tazaki's ear, "This is a sacred place for couples to date in Kyoto. Couples who walk across this bridge together are destined for a happy marriage~"

Tsukasa Tazaki gripped her hand tightly.

The two walked hand in hand onto the bridge, stopping only in the middle. A young man was busking on the opposite railing, but it was during his break, so no sound came out.

On a clear autumn day, the Hozu River is full of water, so clear that you can see the pebbles on the bottom. A slightly chilly autumn breeze sweeps across the riverbed, and the golden reeds sway in a refreshing way.

Occasionally, a small boat will drift downstream, with the young crew member on board calling out to moor at the shore, adding a touch of life to the otherwise tranquil and elegant scene.

“The scenery is so beautiful…” Tsukasa Tazaki put his arm around Hanami Hoshino’s soft waist and smelled the fragrance of her hair: “Growing up in such an environment since childhood, no wonder my sister is so beautiful and full of spirit.”

Hoshino Hanami rested her chin comfortably on his shoulder: "What kind of spiritual energy?"

"It's that kind of temperament that's favored by God."

"I don't understand."

“I’ll prove it to you,” Tsukasa Tazaki said, taking her hand and reaching it toward a pigeon on the railing. “Nothing can resist your charm once you’re here, sister.”

“I’m calling it back,” Hoshino Hanami corrected him.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Tsukasa Tazaki said cheerfully, “This situation is like a wife who has married far away to Tokyo returning to her parents’ home.”