My love index is at its maximum.

Joint protest against the school administration...

Kana Shimamoto wore a pained expression and muttered under her breath, "This is basically putting all the blame on me, the school representative..."

"Ms. Shimamoto, thank you for your hard work." Yui Kikawa raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Kana Shimamoto with a smug expression. "This kind of work is simply a teacher's duty, so you shouldn't refuse, right?"

“…Leave it to me.” Shimamoto Kana had no choice but to respond with a cheerful and positive attitude.

"So, even the eldest brother is resorting to petty tricks now..." Tazaki Tsukasa looked at the blonde girl with a gratified gaze, like that of an old father.

Chiba Miho did not raise any further objections.

Anyway, someone has already been blamed, so no matter how much trouble they cause, it won't affect her, the student council president.

"Regarding the bread-biting race, I'd like to add some more interesting details."

Yui Kikawa stood up, moved next to Tsukasa Tazaki, took the whiteboard marker from him, and smoothly drew the outline of a maze on the whiteboard.

“In this maze, we can set up to eight entrances.”

She marked eight points on the whiteboard with the tip of her pen and explained clearly, "Eight people can enter at a time. In my opinion, each club can send one male and one female to participate. Each entrance to the maze can connect to the other seven entrances."

"Based on this, we can prepare random questions at each crossroads. Let the contestants guess their teammates' living habits or hobbies. Only teams with sufficient tacit understanding can successfully meet up with their teammates in the shortest time and win the competition."

After hearing this, Tsukasa Tazaki raised his hand without hesitation and said, "Let's do as the chairman says. If anyone has any further objections, don't leave after the meeting!"

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

Many people were thinking to themselves, even if he was just an assistant to Kikawa, there was no need to be so eager.

"That's decided!"

As Yui Kisakawa approved the decision, she turned around and rolled her eyes at Tsukasa Tazaki.

According to her understanding, Tazaki Tsukasa wasn't supporting her; the reason he was so enthusiastic was definitely because he wanted to compete with his club president.

The meeting continued.

With the chairman's strong stance, the atmosphere became lively again, and everyone was enthusiastic, offering their opinions one after another.

Proposals such as mascot costume races, three-legged races, eating contests, triathlons, jumping over acupressure mats on one leg, rock climbing, and human-powered cart pulling were approved one by one, quickly filling the entire whiteboard.

Tsukasa Tazaki stretched and looked out the window at the soft autumn sunlight.

With the competition events decided, the next step was a tense and busy preparation. At the same time, we also had to balance training and figuring out how to drag the minister into it. These days... were quite fulfilling.

Chapter 291 Pride and Prejudice

The meeting ended close to noon.

"Where to?" Yui asked while organizing the documents.

Tsukasa Tazaki replied, "The library."

"Don't go to places like that. How about having lunch with me?"

"Not hungry yet..."

"No problem, just watch me eat."

"……it is good."

Tsukasa Tazaki looked at Kana Shimamoto and smiled apologetically.

After leaving the school, the two went into Sachiko's coffee shop. Yui Kikawa ate curry rice, while Tsukasa Tazaki only made a cup of coffee. The sweater she wore was very fashionable, and the delicate silver necklace around her neck glittered as she ate.

After wolfing down her curry rice, Yui Kikawa gulped down a whole glass of water in one go.

“Come home with me this afternoon,” she said.

"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing serious, just a small family gathering. Your aunt asked me to take you back to meet everyone."

"Oh--"

"What does this 'oh' mean? Does it mean I should reply or not?"

“It’s just a way of answering; you can interpret it however you like.” Tsukasa Tazaki chuckled, looking at the silver glint in her neck. “Family gatherings like this sound so boring. Can’t you give me some motivation to go home, big brother?”

In an instant, Qichuan Wei puffed up her cheeks in anger, snorted, and turned her face away.

The bright sunlight outside the window illuminated her profile, giving the girl's fair cheeks a touch of crimson, making her exceptionally beautiful.

Tsukasa Tazaki stared at her with amusement: "Big brother seems to be getting more and more shy."

"What do you mean?" Yui Kikawa picked up the napkin on the table, gently wiped the corner of her mouth, and then put it back.

"To put it simply, she's starting to feel like a young girl in the throes of first love."

Good or bad?

"Of course it's good."

“I don’t think it’s good.” Qichuan Yui shook her head, staring at the nameless space above the table, as if she was thinking about the changes in herself.

Tazaki Tsukasa waved to the waiter and ordered two more coffees.

"Do you still remember the first time you kissed me?" Yui Kichikawa suddenly asked.

"I remember, it's at the convenience store that Sachiko used to work at."

Tazaki Tsukasa placed his hands on the table, a neutral smile on his lips as he looked at the blonde girl.

To be more precise, it was looking into her clear blue eyes, without any cloudiness or gloom, that captivated people as much as the deep blue universe.

Kikawa Yui instinctively looked away: "What's so interesting about it..."

"Xiaowei's eyes are so beautiful."

"There's no need to repeat it so many times..."

"Don't you like it?"

"Do not……"

"Then I won't say anything."

"No, it's not..."

Across the table, Tsukasa Tazaki kept looking at her from the same angle, a warm smile on his lips that could make any woman blush and fall in love.

This smile is like the gentle, natural light that spills onto the carpet as the velvet curtains are gently drawn back; it can urge the beloved to open their eyes and wake up quickly.

Kikawa Yui thought to herself that perhaps she should learn to draw and capture such a smile in her mind.

She turned her head, slightly tucked her chin in, and looked at Tsukasa Tazaki's face, as if admiring a favorite painting at an art exhibition.

“I’ve been thinking about that kiss at the convenience store a lot lately…” she said calmly. “I’m increasingly convinced that it was a terrible decision, because back then I still thought you were Tsukasa Tazaki, and I didn’t know you were the person you are now.”

Tsukasa Tazaki smiled without saying a word.

Regardless of her motives, at least she got the same result from her own perspective.

"Let's not worry about the present. Back then, I thought: This is my first kiss with a boy, it should be wonderful! But I only thought of it as a test of my true feelings, to confirm that I didn't like it at the time. If I could rearrange the order of my life, I would definitely make that August kiss my first kiss, absolutely. And then I would spend the rest of my life thinking like this: What is the boy I kissed for the first time in my life at the aquarium when I was 16 doing now? On my 36th, or 46th, or 56th birthday, when I think back on how I felt then, it should feel pretty good."

"It's unbelievable that my brother would say something like that."

Tazaki Tsukasa took two cups of Blue Mountain coffee from the waiter and handed one to her: "There must be a reason why you've suddenly become lovesick, right?"

The blonde girl nodded reflexively.

Then, as if just realizing something, she quickly shook her head, her golden hair swaying beautifully with her movement.

“Your expression tells me you’re lying.” Tazaki Tsukasa gently stirred the coffee in his cup. “I’ve always been one to judge people by their appearance, which means I noticed the change in your expression and took a liking to you at first glance.”

As if she couldn't take it anymore, Qichuan Wei turned around and glared at him, anger welling up in her clear blue eyes again. "One word: are you coming back or not!"

“Of course I’m going back,” Tsukasa Tazaki smiled brightly. “Today is the family anniversary, and Sachiko-nee told me a long time ago.”

"You knew I was being teased..."

"Teasing Xiaowei to blush is one of the happiest things for me."

"...Die!"

Kikawa Yui lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

The air around her suddenly seemed to thin, and her body felt slightly warm under his gaze. She reached out, half-mechanically took the cup, and downed the coffee in one gulp. The waiter, who had been standing nearby, seized the opportunity to refill her empty mug.

The clanging and banging echoed tenderly in the blonde girl's tangled mind, just like the occasional moans she made when he held her in his arms.

On the way back to Chiyoda, the sky was clear and blue.

Yui didn't call a driver. The two of them took the tram from Yotsuya Station to Ochanomizu and then walked towards the Imperial Palace.

Tsukasa Tazaki skipped lunch and bought a thin sandwich and a can of coffee at a convenience store in front of Ochanomizu University. The coffee tasted like newspaper ink, and it was incredibly awful.

On a clear, sunny Saturday morning in autumn, the soft sunlight bathed the earth, illuminating the entire city of Tokyo.

The area around the Imperial Palace and Millennium Pit was crowded with families out and about, as well as couples. A group of little boys chased each other across the lawn with balloons in their hands, while high school girls in short skirts played on their phones and laughed happily.

As she walked along, Yui Kichikawa would occasionally pull down the hem of her skirt.

Many people's eyes lingered on the blonde girl, especially her legs encased in white pantyhose, but she herself didn't seem to care much about those gazes.

"Will the family dinner be Western-style or Japanese-style?"

"Western-style in the afternoon, Japanese-style in the evening."

"So," Tsukasa Tazaki looked Yui Kikawa up and down and said happily, "I can see Yui in a formal dress and Yui in a kimono, right?"

Qichuan Yui smiled slightly, her smile a little gentler than usual: "Does Yui look better in a formal dress or in a kimono?"

“Xiao Wei in a formal dress is a white rose, and Xiao Wei in a kimono is a camellia,” Tsukasa Tazaki said with a light laugh. “When I’m in a great mood and full of fighting spirit, I like the elegant and pure white rose because I’m not afraid of getting pricked. But when I’m feeling down and want to be alone for a while, I want to stare at the tranquil camellia from afar and do nothing for a whole day.”

"It's like saying nothing at all." Yui Kikawa sighed briefly, then couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

Tazaki Tsukasa stretched and casually put his hands behind his head.

On a clear autumn day nearing its end, vibrant tulips were displayed on the flower shop stalls. A gentle breeze blew, causing the golden apricot trees lining the sidewalk to sway, their shadows constantly being trampled underfoot.

Back at the Qichuan family home, they went straight to their aunt's yard.

It was 12:03 a.m., and Sachiko Tono was the only person in the lobby on the first floor. She sat alone on the sofa, drinking iced mineral water while talking on the phone with great interest.

"Where's Auntie?" Tsukasa Tazaki changed into slippers and went inside.