My love index is at its maximum.

"I'll help," Kuriyama Sakura said, intending to follow as well.

“No need, you just came from Tokyo, you should get some rest.” Tsukasa Tazaki stood up first. “I’ll go help my father-in-law.”

"Tasaki is such a sensible child." Grandma Hoshino chuckled happily, then instructed her eldest granddaughter, "Hanami, you need to change your temper. You can't always treat him so fiercely."

"Oh……"

Hoshino Hanami reluctantly agreed.

How can it be?

Given that scumbag's personality, if I hadn't been a bit fierce, would he have been so obedient and docile?

"You all rest here. I'll go and have someone prepare dinner," Grandma Hoshino instructed, leaving the tatami room and heading towards the kitchen.

Kuriyama Sakura sat down on the sofa against the wall and sighed comfortably.

This is a relatively spacious living room with an open fireplace, a large covered balcony on the south side, and a square tea room on the north side. In front of the tea room is a writing desk against the wall, with countless old books crammed onto its surface.

The house was old, but very clean, and it would be quite comfortable to live in.

"Do you like the environment here?" Hoshino Hanami asked, bringing in a bowl of washed grapes.

Kuriyama Sakura nodded: "I want to stay here for a long time."

“That won’t do,” Hoshino Shikami said seriously as she rummaged through the TV cabinet. “I have to go back to Tokyo for school, Sakura. You can only come and stay during holidays. Ah, I found it! Sakura, let’s play games together!”

Kuriyama Sakura looked into her hand and saw a Nintendo Wii game console.

Just then, Tsukasa Tazaki walked in carrying tea and asked curiously, "Can this thing from 06 still be turned on?"

"It should be okay, right?"

Hoshino Shikami wasn't quite sure.

"Why don't you try it and see?" Hoshino Hanami sat on the sofa eating grapes and pointed to the bottom drawer of the TV cabinet. "The game cartridges are all there. Pick whatever you want to play."

Tsukasa Tazaki crouched down, flipped through the pages, pulled out a Super Smash Bros. cartridge, and shouted at Shikami Hoshino, "Let's duel, little sister-in-law!"

"Lu Jiancai isn't afraid of you!"

Hoshino Shikami is extremely brave.

She rolled up her sleeves, gripped the game controller with her two fair arms, selected Link as her character, and battled against Tsukasa Tazaki's Mewtwo. After a series of maneuvers, she was completely wiped out.

The defeated sister-in-law did not give up, but instead requested outside help.

"Sister, come help me teach him a lesson!"

"Then there's nothing you two can do..." Hoshino Hanami sat down in front of the screen with a wry smile. When the battle started, she gave Tazaki Tsukasa a glare, successfully venting her anger for her sister.

"Yay!"

Hoshino Shikami excitedly raised her fist and ran around the sofa several times.

In the harmonious atmosphere, Kuriyama Sakura ate grapes and drank tea, occasionally glancing at the wide sky outside the window before turning her gaze back to the other three people, a smile always playing on her lips.

As the sun drew nearer to the mountaintop, many crows cawed and flew towards their nests across the valley.

When it was time for dinner, Tsukasa Tazaki realized that Japanese people also have the custom of staying up all night on New Year's Day. People eat soba noodles while watching TV programs arranged for the New Year, most of which are "Kohaku Uta Gassen" (Red and White Song Battle), which is equivalent to China's "Spring Festival Gala".

As dawn approached, the temples were filled with the smoke of incense and the sound of bells. After the bells rang, people flocked to shrines and temples to burn incense, pray to Buddha, and draw lots for fortune telling. This practice is called "Hatsumode," which refers to the first pilgrimage of the year.

On New Year's Day, adults also give children lucky money.

Indeed, it is deeply influenced by Chinese culture...

After dinner, everyone watched TV for a while. As midnight approached, at Grandma Hoshino's urging, Hoshino Takeo drove off with his four younger relatives.

Chapter 326 Listening to the New Year's Bells

The shrine to be visited is located on a hilltop that is not short.

Surrounded by a thicket of mixed trees, Takasaki couldn't make out the exact size of the area. Tall pine trees lined the slope leading to the torii gate, their thick branches stretching in all directions, adorned with lanterns that trailed all the way to the mountaintop.

“You guys can go up,” Hoshino Takeo said, waving his hand from inside the car. “I’m not going to join in the fun in the dead of winter…”

"Let's go." Tsukasa Tazaki took Hanami Hoshino's hand.

On the other side, two girls wrapped themselves tightly in their clothes in the cold wind, shivering like two frozen quails.

The stone path leading to the shrine steps is lit up with the lights of vendors on both sides, illuminating the sky.

This place seems to function as a market in the town, with many people taking advantage of the opportunity to visit the temple to join in the fun. Many of them are wearing new clothes and wooden clogs, chatting with acquaintances or strolling along the road.

“It used to be much more lively than this,” Hoshino Hanami said nostalgically, looking at the goods on both sides. “Nowadays, young people all flock to big cities like Tokyo and Osaka, and they only come home for major holidays like New Year’s. It’s really sad to see.”

"How about we move back in?" Tsukasa Tazaki suggested.

Hoshino Hanami rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "Life in Tokyo is so interesting, why move back here?"

"I'm just seeing you reminiscing..."

"It's just talk, anyone who takes it seriously is a fool!"

“Yes, yes, yes, sister is right!” Tsukasa Tazaki nodded in agreement, while secretly muttering to herself that this was just the empty talk of those people who were shouting about escaping the big city…

Kuriyama Sakura and Hoshino Shikami are both city kids who grew up in Tokyo. The goods displayed by roadside vendors are quite novel to them. Items like mushrooms, wild vegetables, and pickles, which are relatively rare in Tokyo, are readily available here.

"Wow, Sakura, look over here..."

The silly girl grabbed Kuriyama Sakura's hand and squeezed into the crowd, running to a food stall.

"You two, don't get lost!"

Hoshino Hanami called out from a few meters away.

There's really no need to worry. The energetic sister-in-law and the ethereal minister are always in the spotlight, making them easy to spot.

The two held hands and walked towards the night market.

Drawing lots, grilled rice cakes, game booths...

The vendor's energetic shouts, the children's cries for food, the sizzling of fried food in the oil... the most pleasant sound was the crisp clicking of Hoshino Hanami's heels on the stone pavement.

"What would you like to eat, sister?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked.

"Hmm... let's go eat rice cakes!" Hoshino Hanami said, pointing to her sister's stall.

"Okay~"

With one arm around her waist, Tsukasa Tazaki used the other to forcefully push aside the bored passersby blocking his way.

"I feel like you're protecting me." Hoshino Hanami smiled sweetly.

Wearing a white coat and black leggings peeking out from under a plaid skirt, she looked like a high school girl in love. Especially when she buried her face in a fluffy scarf, with only her eyes showing, she exuded youthful energy to the fullest.

Tazaki Tsukasa couldn't resist and pulled her into his arms, gently loosening his scarf.

He hugged her waist tightly, pressing them close together, and tried to bring his lips to hers.

Stop fooling around here!

Hoshino Hanami pressed her finger to his lips and said with a smile, "Let's talk about it after we finish the shrine visit."

"Feudalism is incredibly harmful!" Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't help but criticize.

Arriving at the rice cake stall, Kuriyama Sakura and Hoshino Shikami each held a plate of fried rice cakes and were eating them. Their golden and crispy appearance looked very appetizing.

Tazaki Tsukasa looked at the large, white clump of rice cake on the stall: "What kind would you like, sister? Steamed, boiled, or fried?"

“I like to eat it steamed and then dipped in white sugar,” Hoshino Hanami said, linking her arm with his.

I paid 600 yen for a steamed rice cake sprinkled with white sugar on top. It was white and still steaming hot.

"My dear sister, please!"

Tsukasa Tazaki picked up a piece with a bamboo skewer and held it to her mouth.

"Ah—um."

Hoshino Hanami opened her mouth and took a bite.

Tsukasa Tazaki ate the remaining half of the bamboo skewer himself.

The rice cake has a chewy and sweet texture, and because of the presence of sugar granules, it also has a crisp texture when chewed, creating a rich and layered flavor.

Hoshino Shikami poked Tazaki Tsukasa in the back from behind.

"What happened to Lu Jian?"

"Lu Jian wants to eat white sugar rice cake too!"

Tazaki Tsukasa had no choice but to also stick a piece on a bamboo skewer and feed it to his sister-in-law.

The little idiot also took a bite of one half, and the remaining half... Tsukasa Tazaki then fed it to Hanami Hoshino.

"...Tasaki, you're being unfair!" Hoshino Shikami pouted unhappily.

Hoshino Hanami pouted.

“I’m your brother-in-law, what’s wrong with favoring your sister?” Tsukasa Tazaki lectured.

Kuriyama Sakura walked over and gently tapped Hoshino Shikami on the head: "What are you thinking about? Believe me or not, I'll take you back to the car right now?"

"Hmph, let's go!" Hoshino Shikami grabbed her arm and ran towards the torii gate.

"It's almost midnight, let's go upstairs."

Tazaki Tsukasa pulled Hoshino Hanami along as they walked up to the shrine, eating mochi as they went.

After passing through the torii gate and climbing a few steps, I entered the worship plaza of the shrine, which was crowded with people preparing to worship. In one corner, shrine staff were distributing free sweet tea.

While taking photos and eating rice cakes, the countdown to the New Year began.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

The tourists started counting off on their own, and the atmosphere became increasingly lively. Tsukasa Tazaki, along with Hanami Hoshino and two high school girls, hid in a corner where they could enjoy the New Year undisturbed by the crowd.

"Three, two, one!"

"Duang—"

The deep sound of the bell resounded throughout the mountain, and several plumes of fireworks rose from the ground, trailing long tails, and ascended into the sky, exploding into dazzling sparks with a "bang".

Sparkling and shimmering, peeling away bit by bit, against the backdrop of the dark curtain, it looked like falling golden snowflakes.