My love index is at its maximum.

Tazaki Tsukasa turned his head to look over. Kuriyama Sakura's lips moved slightly. If she was too loud, he had no choice but to lean his head over. At the same time, Kuriyama Sakura also leaned her head over.

"I just said, you're so spineless!"

The two were very close, and he could smell her elegant and pleasant fragrance. Tsukasa Tazaki asked, "Why did you say I'm useless?"

“Those high-achieving students who have been to the Vienna Golden Hall, and you actually made them sing this kind of song…” Kuriyama Sakura shook her head, her expression a mix of helplessness and regret.

Tsukasa Tazaki countered, "But isn't this the kind of song everyone wants to hear?"

Kuriyama Sakura paused slightly and looked up outside.

The first person to come into view was Kana Shimamoto, dressed in a formal gown and waving a baton, her posture both elegant and graceful.

Below, students are singing loudly in unison.

The tempo continued to accelerate, pushing the music towards its final section.

"Hey, Minister."

"what?"

“That night when I sang this song by myself, I always felt like I didn’t have enough power or something,” Tsukasa Tazaki turned around, winked and smiled, “Now I’ve found hundreds of people to help me sing it. How about it, do you feel any special signals?”

Kuriyama Sakura didn't speak, but made a sound in her throat that was hard to tell if it was "uh" or "oh".

Tsukasa Tazaki saw that her snow-white cheeks began to blush.

The performance outside ended, and the music and cheers temporarily subsided.

As if to fill the void, Hoshino Hanami walked over, put her arm around Kuriyama Sakura's shoulder from the side, and whispered, "Sister, you want to go on stage and have some fun too."

"...Huh?" Kuriyama Sakura looked at her in confusion.

Just as Tsukasa Tazaki was about to speak.

The moment he opened his mouth, Hoshino Hanami stopped him with a look, then gently lifted Kuriyama Sakura's chin with one hand, her eyes half-closed with interest: "How could I miss out on something as fun as forming a band?"

Her older sister's expression was so intimidating that Kuriyama Sakura instinctively covered her chest with her hands: "No... I haven't agreed yet, this has nothing to do with me."

Hoshino Hanami smiled gently: "But I want to take you with me."

It was a very affectionate smile, like a blanket that had been basking in the sun all afternoon and had absorbed all its warmth; the half-closed eyes were also very endearing.

Then she reached out and gently ruffled Kuriyama Sakura's hair with her long, slender fingers, a very crisp and carefree movement. Touched by this gesture, Kuriyama Sakura couldn't help but smile.

Tazaki Tsukasa leaned closer, looking reluctant: "Minister, please don't fall for me like this. My sister can only be mine."

"Shut up!"

Kuriyama Sakura glared at him.

“I’m an optimist, so I might not understand your thoughts often.” Hoshino Hanami gently hugged Kuriyama Sakura, her arms around her neck. “I’ve talked to your current mother a lot. She told me that you’ve tried to communicate with people your own age before, but it all ended without success. When she asked you why, you always said that those people were too stupid and not worth wasting your time on. Is that really true?”

Kuriyama Sakura remained silent, her gaze fixed on the playground outside.

The second round of performances has begun, and this time they are singing RADWIMPS' "Zenzenzense".

Have you finally woken up?

But why won't you look me in the eye?

These two lines of lyrics seemed to remind her of something, and when she looked away, the light in her eyes dimmed.

“My sister always believes that whether a person is interesting or not has nothing to do with whether he is an idiot.” Hoshino Hanami chuckled, turned around and kicked Tazaki Tsukasa, lowering her voice: “Just like Tazaki being a scumbag doesn’t affect the fact that he is the best boy in the world.”

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

After kicking him, Hoshino Hanami gently patted Kuriyama Sakura's back: "There must be other hidden reasons why you stopped trying after a few attempts. You faced it alone before, so it's understandable that you were afraid. But now you have many friends around you, so why not give it a try again? We're all here for you."

Sakura Kuriyama couldn't answer that question.

As she lowered her head to avoid him, her dark false eyelashes cast shadows on her face.

“Eh, Tazaki.” Hoshino Hanami turned her head.

"Please speak, teacher!"

"You need to understand Kuriyama better. Firstly, it's really hard to find someone as good as her, and secondly, she's actually quite fragile inside, so you can't judge her by appearances alone."

"...What?" Tsukasa Tazaki exclaimed in surprise.

"Just keep working hard. There will be plenty of difficulties, but you're incredibly stubborn. I think things will turn around eventually. By the way, Sakura, can I give you some advice too?"

"Please speak."

"To yield to oneself is something only a despicable coward would do." Hoshino Hanami loosened her grip and cracked her wrists. "Oh, it's almost time. Ready to go on stage?"

"Hana-nee, you..." Kuriyama Sakura's voice was slightly hoarse, "Are you really going to go on stage?"

As Hoshino Hanami tied her long hair, which was draped over her back, into a ponytail with a hair tie, she said energetically, "You guys are still missing a bassist, right? Since Tazaki came to me, as the older sister, of course I won't stand idly by. Of course, I also took the lead singer's position and made him the bassist."

That's all.

She looked at Tsukasa Tazaki and raised an eyebrow.

Even in the dimly lit backstage area, Tsukasa Tazaki could clearly see how radiant she looked.

That straightforward and bright smile seemed to symbolize something—perhaps a state of mind, or perhaps a kind of hope. She was like a sprite brewed from all the beautiful encounters in the world, her eternally innocent and pure thoughts floating around her like spring spores.

Kuriyama Sakura took a deep breath.

Shiori Ninomiya walked over and gently placed her hand on Sakura's wrist: "Good luck, Sakura!"

“And Shikami, and Shikami,” the silly boy ran over and hugged her waist from behind: “Shikami will always stand by Sakura’s side.”

Behind the three girls, Yui Kichikawa silently carried a drum set.

Kuriyama Sakura raised her head and glanced at Tazaki Tsukasa.

Tsukasa Tazaki raised his hands in a gesture of surrender: "I've got everyone I know on my side, and I have no other backup plans."

Finally, she looked towards the podium, where Shimamoto Kana had finished her instructions and was talking to the students on the playground.

"I really miss those days."

"This was the first time my teacher had ever picked up this baton since I graduated from university, and he was surprised by how good it was."

The room was bathed in autumn sunlight, and everything was brightly lit.

Kana Shimamoto looked around the playground, a smile playing on her lips: "I believe that when you look back on today's scene in the future, you will smile."

A gust of wind blew, and the ginkgo leaves fluttered in the wind.

The playground, which had just quieted down, erupted in cheers once again.

Kana Shimamoto turned her head and smiled slightly at the group of people who were slowly stepping up the steps.

"Now, let's hand the stage over to them."

After speaking, she left from the other side, changed into a black jacket, and put on sunglasses. Tazaki Tsukasa slowly walked to the microphone, looking at the students below: "I've been being silly just now, now it's time for me to act cool, everyone has no objections, right?"

"Shh~"

It's unclear who started it, but a chorus of boos erupted across the playground.

But these were just boos and jeers; they didn't contain any malice, nor did they mean the audience was unwelcoming.

"Okay, okay, it wasn't me." Tsukasa Tazaki shrugged slightly, then shouted, "Next, please enjoy 'Wake' performed by Hoshino-sensei."

The boos immediately turned into wild cheers.

That's Hoshino-sensei! How could anyone not be excited?

Everyone's face was beaming with excitement, especially the students in Class F of the first year, who were all jumping and skipping with their companions.

Hearing the cheers from the audience, Yui Kikawa set up the drum kit and gently tapped it to test the sound.

Tsukasa Tazaki and Sakura Kuriyama plucked the strings a couple of times, and the vibrating sound was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears through the loudspeaker.

Hoshino Hanami took the microphone and walked between the two.

The person in charge of backend audio debugging issued a notification that "ready to complete".

The rhythm of the bass and bass drum poured out like a flood, and everyone's eardrums vibrated slightly.

At break of day

(Dawn breaks)

In hope we rise

(We woke up full of hope)

The electric bass in Tsukasa Tazaki's hand roared.

The drumbeats were rapid and intense, and Yui Kikawa strongly asserted her presence.

Sakura Kuriyama, who plays guitar, uses her precise and meticulous plucking to control the entire piece.

At the center of the three, Hoshino Hanami dominated the entire venue with her powerful voice, each note like a heavy hammer blow to the hearts of the listeners.

It's so much fun!

A surge of excitement continued to sweep in.

At this moment, the playground is as lively as a rock concert or electronic music festival, with everyone blending together as one.

Sunlight shone on the iron frame of the platform, reflecting dappled light, and the refreshing autumn breeze blew on her flushed face, making Kuriyama Sakura's complexion even more rosy.

Chapter 304 The First Day of the Sports Festival

After the opening ceremony was completed, the Sports Festival officially began.

The committee's cleanup work is not yet complete, and the first competition event, the triple jump, is already in the athletes' preparation stage.

"Tazaki, hurry up! The competition is about to start, get me first place!"

"Okay, teacher!"

"Don't rush. You should finish what you're doing before you go. Be careful not to fall. By the way, have some water and rest for a while."

"Thank you for your concern, Shimamoto-sensei."

"Tazaki-san, the joint broadcast by the Broadcasting Club and the Student Council is now starting. Please follow up with Chiba-senpai."

"Received, Chairman!"