My love index is at its maximum.

"I haven't given up yet!"

Tsukasa Tazaki took a deep breath, took out his phone, and dialed Kana Shimamoto's number.

"Hello, Mr. Shimamoto?"

"what happened?"

"The situation has changed. We're now implementing Plan B, so I'd appreciate it if you could come over in person. By the way, the enemy is dangerous and cunning, so it would be best to bring a few more teachers who are good at arguing to help."

Chapter 289 Kiki, you have so many bad intentions.

"Da da da~"

The precise and efficient sound of high heels rang in my ears as the activity room door was pushed open.

Tsukasa Tazaki looked towards the doorway.

Meeting his gaze, Kana Shimamoto walked in with a laptop in her hand, and looked around at the people in the room with great interest.

Perhaps because of the cold weather, she wore a very fashionable white coat over her teacher's uniform, with the collar fastened and the waist slightly cinched, much like a doctor's white coat.

The white lab coat fit her perfectly and complemented her slender figure.

"Everyone's waiting for me?" Shimamoto Kana touched her glasses frame lightly with her index finger and sat down on the sofa.

Kuriyama Sakura nodded: "I want to see just how much Shimamoto-sensei has been bewitched by Tazaki-san."

"That's a very ambiguous statement; you shouldn't say it like that." Shimamoto Kana raised her face and smiled, a smile that was purely personal.

Shiori Ninomiya's eyes darted around on the two of them a few times before she obediently ran off to boil water and make tea.

Tazaki Tsukasa gave Kuriyama Sakura a victory sign, looking completely confident of victory.

Kuriyama Sakura glared back at him coldly.

"Ms. Shimamoto, have some tea~" Shiori Ninomiya only made two cups of tea, one for Miho Chiba and one for Kana Shimamoto. Then she went around to the club president's back and put her arm around her shoulder from behind.

The sight of the pretty girls sticking together made Tsukasa Tazaki unconsciously smile like an aunt.

The fact that Ninomiya-san could naturally make such physical contact with Kuriyama-san, who belonged to the school's social class, without making her feel uncomfortable at all, shows that everyone loves her.

“…So heavy.” Kuriyama Sakura muttered to herself.

What is so heavy?

Although Tsukasa Tazaki was very interested in discussing this with the department head, he knew that daring to speak up would only lead to trouble, so he decided to pretend he hadn't heard and turned to Kana Shimamoto to ask, "Ms. Shimamoto, can we talk about what you told me at noon now while everyone is talking about it?"

"No problem." Shimamoto Kana nodded, rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, and opened the laptop she had brought with her slender white wrists. "Since the ATF club activities have been difficult to define, I, as the instructor, have no choice but to personally assign tasks to you."

Move your mouse, open your browser, and go to your school email page.

Shiori Ninomiya leaned over and looked at the screen: "What is this?"

"The school's counseling mailbox." Shimamoto Kana placed the computer in front of Kuriyama Sakura, a smile appearing on her face: "Dear members of the ATF club, starting today, as a new club activity, the counseling mailbox of Kitagawa Private Academy will be managed by you. Please cooperate and work together to solve everyone's problems."

After the brief announcement was read, the three ATF members present reacted differently.

Tsukasa Tazaki knew perfectly well what was going on.

Shiori Ninomiya stared wide-eyed, looking very interested: "Psychological counseling for all students in the school? That sounds like so much fun."

Kuriyama Sakura frowned unhappily and turned to look at Tazaki Tsukasa: "Is this your idea again?"

"No, no, I don't have such a silly idea..." Tsukasa Tazaki shook his head and explained, "I just asked Ms. Shimamoto to guide our club activities according to her original ideas."

"I see... Huh?" Shiori Ninomiya seemed to have thought of something, and looked up at Kana Shimamoto with a suspicious expression: "Shimamoto-sensei, I remember that replying to psychological counseling letters is your job, right? Now you're dumping it all on us. Are you trying to slack off?"

Kana Shimamoto smiled slightly, as if subtly giving an affirmative answer. Then she cleared her throat and threatened the three of them in a very gentle voice, as if encouraging them: "You need to materialize your club activities and get my approval as your instructor, otherwise you will face the disbandment of your club next semester."

“Shimamoto-sensei,” Kuriyama Sakura puffed out her chest, which was only slightly heaving, and protested sternly, “The ATF club was established with your consent in the first place. Isn’t this going back on your word?”

"The question is, did Kuriyama achieve his original goal in creating the club?"

Kana Shimamoto sighed helplessly, seemingly disappointed with the current state of the ATF club. She looked at Sakura Kuriyama and continued, "You haven't managed to change your withdrawn and awkward personality by observing how others interact."

Kuriyama Sakura narrowed her eyes and sighed coldly.

On this point, she seemed unable to refute it.

“Shimamoto-sensei, your statement is wrong,” Tsukasa Tazaki protested with a stern face. “The so-called aloofness and awkwardness are just prejudices from the outside world. Kuriyama-san is just not interested in those things, and she is not as bad as you say.”

A gentle breeze stirred the curtains, and the setting sun cast its rays into the room. Kuriyama Sakura gradually relaxed her brows, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Shiori Ninomiya glanced at Tsukasa Tazaki with surprise, not understanding why he would suddenly contradict Kana Shimamoto.

On the sofa, Chiba Miho, who had been silent all along, smiled meaningfully as if she had seen through something.

She didn't intend to speak, remaining seated on the sofa and looking around the activity room. A painting of the local coastline hung on the wall; though old in style, the colors were fresh and the composition clever. A large monitor hung on the wall, with a PS5 game console below it.

An old-fashioned black clock hangs on the wall above the monitor; it looks quite worn, but the hour hand tells the time accurately. The wooden floor underfoot is polished to a shine; you can see your shadow when you walk on it.

Kana Shimamoto rubbed her temples and approached Tsukasa Tazaki, her gentle voice tinged with obvious helplessness. "So, can you tell me, teacher, what serious club activities has the ATF club, which has been established for more than half a year, had?"

Kuriyama Sakura opened her mouth, then wisely kept it closed.

Aside from drinking tea and reading, the only thing that could be considered a club activity was that time I went to the Literature Department to cause trouble.

Kana Shimamoto looked at her with great disappointment: "If this continues, the only option left for the ATF club is disbandment. Unless you intend to use your special privileges to force the school board to retain it."

Just as Kuriyama Sakura was about to say, "That's exactly what I was thinking," Tazaki Tsukasa interrupted her, "What are you talking about? Kuriyama-san isn't the kind of person who only relies on connections!"

"..."

The minister glared at him with great displeasure.

"You guys can keep arguing..." Shiori Ninomiya lowered her head and started playing on the computer. The clicking sound of her keyboard was quite noticeable, interspersed with a few of her murmurs.

“In that case,” Shimamoto Kana narrowed her eyes slightly and asked in a husband-and-wife manner, “how do you plan to carry out the club’s activities in the future? If you don’t get my approval, then you will eventually be unable to escape the fate of being disbanded.”

“Minister,” Tsukasa Tazaki turned around, “would you mind leaving this matter entirely to me?”

"Let's leave this to you for now." Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on her hand and pondered, "On this point, I'll stand with you for now, and we'll settle accounts for your betrayal later."

Tsukasa Tazaki smiled and said, "Understood!"

Just then, Shiori Ninomiya stopped typing and exclaimed excitedly, "Hey, we got a message in the inquiry mailbox! Our first customer has come to visit!"

What was the content of the letter?

Let me see!

Tsukasa Tazaki walked around the table and came to Shiori Ninomiya's side.

The little cutie bent over slightly, her fingers typing on the keyboard. With each word she typed, her black hair swayed, emitting a floral perfume scent.

Kuriyama Sakura asked, "What is the contents of the letter?"

"Shh~" Shiori Ninomiya put her index finger to her lips and winked a few times, feigning mystery. Then, she turned around and whispered in Tsukasa Tazaki's ear, "Kiki, you're so mischievous."

"...?"

Kuriyama Sakura suddenly felt that something was wrong.

She had a vague feeling that she was slowly walking into a trap.

Tazaki Tsukasa glanced at the email and looked at Chiba Miho: "Chiba-senpai, I thought you had betrayed us."

"Hmm, haha." Chiba Miho stood up, pinching her skirt with her fingertips and pulling it down a little. "What happens next is none of my business. Goodbye for now."

Goodbye, senior.

"Goodbye."

After she left, Tsukasa Tazaki pushed the screen in front of Sakura Kuriyama.

[Chiba Miho from the Student Council]

[I'm brainstorming great ideas to create an amazing atmosphere for the sports festival. Also, since this is my last term, I absolutely can't fail!]

"Mr. Shimamoto," Tsukasa Tazaki asked, "wouldn't helping people who write to me with their problems solve their troubles count as a tangible club activity?"

"Of course it counts!"

"Then, we, the ATF department, will take on Chiba-senpai's matter."

"This is just an unexpected event, and we can't hold a sports festival every day. A club's activities need to be held regularly to be considered acceptable. At the very least, you need to handle one inquiry email every week."

"no problem."

The two exchanged questions and answers at a rapid pace. Kuriyama Sakura snapped out of her daze and was about to object when Tazaki Tsukasa stepped in front of her, looked down into her eyes, and said, "Didn't you just say that you'd leave everything to me this time?"

"asshole!"

Kuriyama Sakura bit her lower lip, a ripple appearing in her clear eyes.

If I entrust you with full responsibility this time, then every subsequent weekly meeting will likely be avoided by you with excuses, leaving all these troublesome tasks to fall on my shoulders...

“Kuriyama-kun,” Shimamoto Kana’s lips curled into a faint, shadowy smile as she gently pushed up her glasses, “it’s decided then and there. You’re not going to go back on your word, are you?”

Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her temples, a helpless expression on her face: "Tazaki Tsukasa, I'll remember this time!"

Shimamoto Kana nodded knowingly to Tazaki Tsukasa, then turned and left. Tazaki Tsukasa watched her retreating figure, observing the sway of her waist and the movement of her steps; every movement appeared incredibly natural and elegant.

The activity room fell into a deathly silence.

The clock ticked away quietly, its rhythm unchanging, while the circle of light shining through the small window onto the floor shifted silently. Time passed incredibly slowly; the three of them sat there quietly, each going about their own business, without uttering a sound.

Shiori Ninomiya was checking emails while leaning over the table, while Sakura Kuriyama was quietly reading a book, not changing her posture, completely absorbed in her reading, just like Tsukasa Tazaki.

Outside the open window, the setting sun slowly sank.

The evening breeze blowing through the school buildings carried the shouts of the track and field team members on the playground, and it was clear from the sound that they were training hard to shine in the sports festival.

The club activities ended at 5:30.

Tsukasa Tazaki closed the book, put it back in his bag, and prepared to leave the activity room.

“I don’t want that,” Kuriyama Sakura suddenly said.

“I understand how you feel.” Tsukasa Tazaki stood up, carrying his schoolbag, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “Whether it’s good or bad, we have to try it first to know. Don’t rush to refuse. I said I would change before you do. At this sports festival, why don’t you take a look at the surprise I’ve prepared for you, and then make your plans?”

Kuriyama Sakura's obsidian-like eyes stared straight at him: "What surprise?"

"Of course, I want you to know just how hard I've worked to give you the confidence to fit in with your peers!" Tsukasa Tazaki slung his backpack over his shoulder, glanced at Shiori Ninomiya, and gestured for her to come with him.

The little cutie squinted her eyes, grabbed the two cuffs, and came to his side.