My love index is at its maximum.

A: Dog

【B: Cat】

Did he also draw this question?

Kuriyama Sakura nodded slightly, seemingly very pleased with the coincidence.

She hadn't confirmed whether Tazaki Tsukasa liked cats or dogs, so she didn't know what his answer would be. From her usual observations, his attitude towards cats seemed consistently indifferent, and he even had an irreconcilable conflict with "Sardines."

Conversely, he is much friendlier when dealing with dogs.

Take a chestnut.

He can spend an entire afternoon playing with the dog, Hanami-nee's, "Navy".

Based on this, it can be inferred that Tsukasa Tazaki probably prefers dogs more.

Would his answer be a dog?

Kuriyama Sakura supported her chin with her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then chose to turn right.

Knowing that I'm a staunch cat lover, if he still chooses the dog, I can forget about ever talking to him again.

The cheers on the playground grew louder, and many people started whistling.

Kuriyama Sakura arrived at the third fork in the road.

What is your companion's attitude towards rainy days?

A: I hate it.

B: I like it

Faced with this question, the pretty young girl tilted her head slightly, revealing a puzzled expression.

The adorable image, captured by a drone, appeared on the large screen in the playground, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

The outside was extremely noisy, but the atmosphere inside the maze remained unaffected.

Kuriyama Sakura slowly closed her eyes, as if she was recalling something.

Unless there is a special reason, it is difficult for a person to say whether they hate or like a certain type of weather. According to her understanding, Tsukasa Tazaki is the same, even though rainy days make everything wet and sticky.

What determines your mood on a rainy day is more about what happened, what you gained or lost, than simply the weather.

So, the answer to this question is...

Sakura Kuriyama inhaled the cool autumn air, listened to the noise from the playground, and felt the wind on her skin. Her thoughts drifted back to a few months ago, when she was about to turn sixteen.

Memory has no color, no sound, no smell, and no radiance.

It was like an old, moldy 8-meter film, with only blurry images being shown one by one.

It was a rented room with about six tatami mats, at the end of a dark, north-facing corridor. She had been to that room several times; there wasn't even a sofa inside.

The dilapidated room had bedding laid on the floor, a desk, and a small dining table, leaving no room to move around. Even if you just wanted to make a cup of instant coffee, you had to unplug the secondhand refrigerator, plug the thermos into the socket, and then hold the thermos with both hands until the water boiled.

Whenever it rains, the house becomes stuffy and damp, and the walls become covered with mold.

In conclusion, barring anything particularly exciting happening, Tsukasa Tazaki should dislike rainy days even more. Besides, rainy days mean wet shoes, and wet tennis shoes are one of the three things he hates most. The answer to this question is quite clear.

Choose A, I hate it.

Turn left and proceed a few meters to the fourth fork in the road.

What kind of cola does your friend like?

A: Coca-Cola

[B: Pepsi]

Tazaki, that scumbag, is a blue can party member.

The answer is B.

As I turned right and headed towards the last question, I heard the commentary from outside. It sounded like Tazaki Tsukasa had also reached the final stage and seemed to be stuck in a situation where he couldn't make a choice.

The students around him were noisy and disruptive, and the paper partitions next to him were airtight.

Kuriyama Sakura's clear eyes were fixed on the drone above her head, as if trying to see Tazaki Tsukasa's expression through it.

He must be really conflicted right now.

She provided both options A and B for that question.

A represents the surface, and B represents the interior.

Both answers are correct; there is no reason why one should be correct while the other is wrong.

But the game only allows one answer to be correct.

Choosing A means maintaining the status quo and continuing to present herself as a haughty young lady. But choosing B means accepting Tsukasa Tazaki's idea, revealing her hidden side, and taking a step towards change.

What choice does Tazaki Tsukasa think he will make?

Kuriyama Sakura was very excited, and she couldn't quite control her facial expression, a slight smile appearing on her lips.

The next second, upon seeing the fifth question, her smile vanished instantly.

Her cheeks puffed out slightly.

The minister, gritting her little tiger teeth, started to get angry.

How would you react if your friend confessed their feelings to you?

A: Accept.

[B: Think it over carefully, then accept it.]

Sakura Kuriyama has a thousand reasons to believe.

The person who caused this problem is 100% in cahoots with Tsukasa Tazaki!

A drone flew overhead and captured her expression and the problem at the crossroads, displaying it on the large screen in the playground.

The once noisy playground instantly fell silent, and even the air seemed to turn icy cold.

Even though other competitions were still underway in other venues, the competition area of ​​the Paper Maze was completely silent. It was unclear whether this was due to its location or the cool and aloof atmosphere emanating from Kuriyama Sakura.

With her delicate and refined features, she could attract attention even when standing still. In this school full of geniuses and children of wealthy families, she stood out even more. Even the uniform that looked ordinary on other girls looked unique on her.

She has always been like snow buried deep beneath the surface. Though beautiful, she remains untouchable to others, her story passed down among the students, a stark contrast to her surroundings.

Now, whether she will make a choice or turn back the way she came remains to be seen.

“Tazaki, mere…”

"How dare they scheme against the Minister! It's infuriating..."

"hateful……"

Kuriyama Sakura, while chewing on a piece of bread, kept cursing incessantly.

Only when she had eaten just a small piece of bread left in her mouth did she take a deep breath and run to the right with all her might.

The entire playground erupted in cheers at that moment.

The girl's screams, the boy's clapping and cheering, and the guide's prompts all echoed into the maze.

"Tazaki-kun, this is the last step! Kuriyama-san is rushing towards you at top speed, so please don't choose the wrong one~"

"It's up to you now..." Kuriyama Sakura murmured as she ran.

On a clear, sunny day, the sun shines overhead and shadows are cast at your feet.

A slight smile appeared on the girl's lips. She felt neither uneasy nor confused about whether they would meet again, but optimistically left everything to fate.

As I ran around a corner, the cheers around me became even more piercing.

Kuriyama Sakura began to pant, and a thin layer of sweat began to seep onto her fair and delicate cheeks.

The next turn is just around the corner.

Just as she was about to lean over and turn around, she bumped headfirst into a "wall".

As she fell backward, Tsukasa Tazaki quickly reached out and caught her.

He grabbed her slender arm with one hand and wrapped his arm around her soft waist with the other, preventing the minister from falling to the ground in front of thousands of people.

"Waaah—"

The audience erupted in cheers and jeers.

"Let's congratulate the two of you on your successful pairing!" Chiba Miho slapped the table excitedly. "36.28 seconds, the fastest time so far belongs to the ATF team!"

“What a boring match,” Fujiwara Izaya shook his head and said in a smug way, “Tazaki-san, why don’t you kiss her? It’s really boring watching this. If all else fails, you can punch her… Ouch, Chiba-senpai, that hurts!!!”

"Fujiwara-kun!!!"

"Please speak, President!"

"You're the best student in our school's second year. If this continues, our third year at Beichuan will be doomed!!!"

"Huh? Is it that serious...?"

"You better reflect on your actions! Write a 10000-word self-criticism after school, or you can forget about getting any club activity funding next year!"

Ignoring the lively atmosphere outside, Tazaki Tsukasa's gaze remained fixed on Kuriyama Sakura. The girl was leaning back, relying on him for support to avoid falling, and a small piece of bread was dangling from her mouth.

Her skin was crystal clear, looking as beautiful as ice crystals under the sunlight. It was hard not to worry that she would melt in the next second from absorbing too much heat.

"Minister." Tsukasa Tazaki was very happy, and his voice was somewhat excited.

Just as she opened her mouth, the small piece of bread that was almost left in her mouth fell out and landed directly in the collar of Kuriyama Sakura's tracksuit, between her delicate and slender neck and her exquisite collarbone.

"..."

"..."

The two of them stared wide-eyed at the same time, looking at each other awkwardly.

"Um... well, it's nice to meet you here, Minister..." Tsukasa Tazaki stammered, then couldn't help but break into an extremely bright smile. "Anyway, I'm very happy right now, can you let me hug you a little longer?"

Kuriyama Sakura's fair and delicate face gradually flushed with an alluring blush.

Her slender shoulders kept trembling, and eventually she simply turned her face away.

"Not willing?" Tsukasa Tazaki pressed.