My love index is at its maximum.

It was a beautiful sunny autumn day.

Chapter 305 The Second Day of the Sports Festival

The second day of the sports festival.

The temperature is around 13 degrees Celsius, and it's sunny and windless.

The sun cast its warm rays upon the earth, and the surface of Tokyo Bay remained calm.

Kuriyama Sakura yawned and slowly woke up.

A soft blanket was draped over her shoulders, and a large grandfather clock lying on the ground ticked away, marking the time: 7:30.

The signal light on my phone beside my pillow kept flashing. There was an unread message on Line. I opened it and saw a photo that Tsukasa Tazaki had taken during his morning run, along with a "Good morning" message.

An impatient expression immediately appeared on her pretty face.

Carefully considering the words, I typed the text with my fingers, but deleted it all after typing only halfway. I left the room to wash up and change clothes, tidied myself up in front of the mirror, and walked down the stairs from the second floor.

Kuriyama Sakura stopped at the corner on the first floor.

She frowned slightly as the warm autumn sunlight streamed in through the glass window, greedily kissing her perfect profile.

She was enveloped by a warm and gentle air, as if from another world, and in the bright lobby on the first floor, the soft sound of pages turning could be heard.

Tsukasa Tazaki sat at the sunny table facing the courtyard.

The autumn sun streaming through the window looked as warm as spring. In that warm sunlight, he rested his cheek on one hand, occasionally turning the pages of the book in his hand with the other. Breakfast was prepared on the table.

Seeing his lazy expression, like a kitten halfway through its afternoon nap, Kuriyama Sakura suddenly felt a warmth in her heart. It was like putting a kitten, lighter than air, in the sun for an hour, then burying her face in its belly and rubbing against it.

At that moment, Tsukasa Tazaki also noticed her.

The hallway, bathed in the white morning light, illuminated her black hair. Her beautiful, clear eyes were slightly moist as she gazed intently at herself—as if to say she was very happy.

Tsukasa Tazaki smiled and nodded.

She nodded in agreement.

The next second, the girl's expression turned cold again, and she asked unhappily, "What are you doing here?"

"I just finished my morning run and sent you a message," Tsukasa Tazaki said quite frankly. "But you didn't reply, so I was worried something had happened to you and came to check on you."

Kuriyama Sakura opened her mouth, about to say something, when Tazaki Tsukasa interrupted, "However, I haven't been to your room since I got here. Mainly because I didn't know what to say, you believe me?"

The minister swallowed his words, looked at the breakfast on the table, glanced at Tsukasa Tazaki, and shook his head without saying a word.

"See? That's exactly what I'm struggling with." Tazaki Tsukasa looked at her impatient, pretty face. "What do men and women talk about when they meet alone? They don't just stare at each other like this. If they're just making conversation, it's not some grand talk about life or ideals. There are subtle and intricate mechanisms involved that I can't possibly understand!"

Kuriyama Sakura sighed, as if she could no longer bear it: "How could you say something like that?"

Then, she walked to the other side of the table, pointed her finger at Tsukasa Tazaki's nose, and said, "Telling sophisticated jokes to make her laugh without becoming a gossip, while at the same time winning her heart with your charm, isn't that what you're best at?"

“No, you’ve misunderstood me,” Tsukasa Tazaki explained. “I’m not a witty or humorous person. If I went to see her directly, I’d probably just spout nonsense and give her a dry, silly grin. What’s the fun in that?”

“Yes, there’s no fun in it at all. You’re happy just to see her, but you don’t think about whether she’s happy or not. You don’t think about how you’re letting her down by taking up her precious time for your own reasons.”

"Yes, that's right. After my morning run, I sat down on a bench by the artificial lake, looking at the bare trees lining the road, and wondered if they were getting up now?"

So you came here?

Yes. That's why I came to you.

"I can't stand you, you bastard..." Kuriyama Sakura pinched her pretty nose, her eyes closed, looking like she had a headache. "It's one thing to come to my house and bother me so early in the morning, but please don't say anything weird."

"Then let's have breakfast first."

"Ugh, that bastard Tazaki..."

Kuriyama Sakura pulled out a chair and sat down beside him.

Before she could even settle into her seat, she instinctively pressed her hands down on the hem of her skirt, turned her head slightly, and looked at Tsukasa Tazaki warily.

"..."

Tazaki Tsukasa looked away, somewhat embarrassed.

No, if this continues, in the Minister's eyes I'll become a pervert with nothing but legs and a brain... no, a brain full of legs. I'm clearly... no, brain, never mind, I'm not going to explain anymore, I'm just a pervert!

In a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, the two chatted and ate breakfast, sandwiches and stewed mushrooms, talking about trivial matters, with wisps of white steam rising from their coffee cups.

"Be serious, how did you get here?"

"As I said, after my morning run I suddenly wanted to know if you were up yet, so I ran over. I happened to run into your mother preparing breakfast, so she asked me to look after you and take you to school."

"That person is really..."

"Auntie is a really nice person, isn't she?"

"What's so good about it? Am I such a grown-up that I can't even go to school by myself?"

She also said there were club competition events today, and asked me to bring you along.

"..."

What's with that expression?

"……I."

"No way, no way, the Minister wouldn't be trying to renege on his debt, would he?"

"...Shut up!"

Kuriyama Sakura was almost suffocating with anger. She sat by the window, drinking coffee, trying to figure out what to say.

"You little rascal!" Tazaki Tsukasa felt a little relieved as he looked out the window through the glass.

Kuriyama Sakura snorted unhappily, "I really want to poison you so you can't speak."

“I used to wish you were mute too,” Tsukasa Tazaki laughed.

The dazzling morning light shone down on the two of them, making the surrounding furniture sparkle.

After breakfast, the two walked side by side toward the subway station.

A chilly autumn wind swayed the trees lining the sidewalk, and the cold, crisp sunlight illuminated the surroundings. The air was very dry, and wisps of dust and gravel swirled across the ground.

Along the way, the girl tied her loose ponytail back into a bun, coiled it forward, and tucked it into her school uniform jacket.

During the morning rush hour, the subway line from Minato Ward to Yotsuya was unusually crowded. Kuriyama Sakura leaned against the back of the carriage, her body swaying with the train's movement, constantly wondering why she had listened to Tazaki Tsukasa's advice—why didn't she have a perfectly good driver to pick her up and drop her off, and instead came with him to squeeze onto the train to go to school!

"Mainly, I especially love the trains during the morning rush hour." Looking down at her little head, Tsukasa Tazaki continued, "Isn't it normal to want to share what you like with me?"

“No one likes the trains during rush hour…” Kuriyama Sakura retorted weakly.

"Yes, I have."

"Who?"

"Couples deeply in love."

"..."

The subway car swayed slightly as it departed from Shibaura Station in Minato Ward.

Kuriyama Sakura, who had been unable to hold onto anything to keep her balance, suddenly swayed uncontrollably and fell forward, her head hitting Tazaki Tsukasa's chest.

Tazaki Tsukasa did not take the opportunity to reach out and embrace her alluring waist.

The subway rattles along in one direction, traversing Tokyo through the dark underground.

"Fool……"

"Idiot." Tsukasa Tazaki lowered his head, inhaling the scent of her hair. "Anyone who doesn't take this opportunity to hug you is truly an idiot."

"Yeah, why not?"

Kuriyama Sakura gently grasped the collar of his school uniform with her small hand.

“I will only take that step when you open your heart,” Tsukasa Tazaki replied.

The train swayed and rocked, bringing the two of them to Yotsuya Station.

On the slope leading to the school gate, Kuriyama Sakura kept looking up at the sky.

The weather was perfect, with only a few wisps of clouds.

The clouds drift leisurely by, seemingly doing nothing; they remain forever silent, yet they say nothing.

Perhaps we shouldn't look up at the sky, but rather turn our gaze inward.

Kuriyama Sakura lowered her gaze.

Try looking inward, as if peering into the bottom of a deep well.

What can you see there?

Yes, and only.

All you can see is your own personality.

The person named "Kuriyama Sakura" is stubborn, uncooperative, often self-doubting, and even when faced with pain, she tries to find something ridiculous in it.

Facing her felt like carrying an old-fashioned travel bag.

We've been through a long journey together. I'm not carrying it because I like it; it's just that I have nothing else to carry, so I have no choice but to wander around with it.

The two climbed the slope and entered the school gate.

Beneath a giant oak tree, promotional posters for the sports festival are displayed. On the drawing paper, the sunny and handsome Tsukasa Tazaki welcomes everyone who enters the school with his cheerful and enthusiastic smile.

Kuriyama Sakura took a few more glances

She spent several nights drawing it herself, stroke by stroke...

At this moment, the last few wisps of clouds in the sky were blown away by the wind, leaving the sky empty.

But that's nothing. Compared to the sky, clouds are just fleeting visitors. It's perfectly normal for them to come and go as they pass through the sky.

As she walked toward the playground, Kuriyama Sakura suddenly found herself lost in thought.

Now, her relationship with Tsukasa Tazaki is in this complicated situation. Is she happy or unhappy in this situation? Even she herself can't figure it out.

This doesn't seem to need to be treated as a major issue with great fanfare.

For her, this was the first time she had experienced growing old, and the emotions she was feeling were also new to her. Had she gone through this before, even just once, she would have been able to face and handle it more effectively and rationally.