My love index is at its maximum.

Kuriyama Sakura nodded.

Becoming the heir of a large family signifies a promising future, but it also comes with the complexities of elite education.

No one considers whether the heir can withstand the pressure; everyone assumes that as an heir, one must know those things.

"It was from that time that my relationship with her gradually became distant."

Tsukasa Tazaki let out a slow, long sigh.

Chapter 58 Qichuan Wei, I'm not afraid of you anymore!

The rain in May has a certain... well, I didn't bring anything, it's just a bit chilly.

The warm-up exercises on the tennis court were completed, and the sports representatives from both classes were distributing tennis rackets to the students. Afterwards, the physical education teacher explained the basic rules of the game.

It's too far away to hear.

After the students from the two classes briefly gathered together, they dispersed to the six tennis courts and formed their own teams to compete.

"Shortly after being confirmed as the heir, Yui Kikawa confided in me. She said she was so tired, she had just finished her horseback riding lesson today, had golf practice tomorrow, dance class the day after, and there was always the endless aristocratic etiquette to learn... I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but I just comforted her by saying that I would become very strong and that I could protect her..."

With his hands in his pockets, Tsukasa Tazaki gazed at Yui Kikawa, who looked like a sports goddess on the tennis court.

Kuriyama Sakura said nonchalantly, "It's hard to imagine that someone as proud as her would complain."

“People’s personalities change with their environment…” Tsukasa Tazaki loosened his tie, unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, and took a deep breath: “Just like me, before I was five years old, I was a very optimistic and positive person, and I even dreamed of becoming an astronaut when I grew up.”

After loosening my tie and buttons, I felt much easier to breathe.

Kuriyama Sakura, holding an umbrella, glanced at his exposed collarbone and said, "You look very sexy right now."

"It doesn't matter, since only you will see it anyway. As for whether you will react to me, that's not something I'm considering."

"You?" Kuriyama Sakura's cheeks seemed to puff out slightly, and her tone became somewhat competitive. "Even male escorts know they need to cultivate a good persona, whether it's gentleness or domineering. First, you need to connect with the customer on a personal level and make them feel comfortable. Why would I go find a high-class male escort when I'm not going to react to someone like you?"

"Kuriyama-kun, you seem to know so much about this, have you already experienced it yourself?"

“Enough…” Kuriyama Sakura took a deep breath, her chest heaving: “Don’t go off-topic, keep going.”

Looking at the bulge in her school uniform shirt, Tsukasa Tazaki realized that Xiaopingping actually had breasts, though they weren't very big.

"There's not much to say after that. Under her full support, she became more and more outstanding, while I continued to sink into the abyss where no one paid any attention to me. Until April of this year... Let me think..."

Tsukasa Tazaki frowned and pondered for a moment before confirming, "April 16th."

"I don't remember exactly how the idea came about. At the time, I just felt that she was having a hard time and wanted to help her share some of the pressure. I also wanted to gain the attention of my family and receive the same education so that I could become as good as her. So I confessed my feelings to her. As it turned out, there was a little misunderstanding during the conversation, and that's how it turned out."

Kuriyama Sakura remained silent for a while, seemingly analyzing what he had just said.

The sky remained overcast, with ominous clouds drifting by one after another. The two people on the rooftop barely spoke, simply listening silently and absentmindedly to the sound of the wind.

With his eyes closed, Tsukasa Tazaki recalled those long ten years in his memory. It was as if he had climbed a high hill and stood on the cliff overlooking the strait below. He could feel the breath of the sea and the howling wind.

There's no need to dwell on the past anymore; everything is already in the past.

Murakami's words came to mind, and Tazaki felt a strange stirring in his heart.

Yeah, it's all in the past anyway.

Although I feel sorry for the original owner, people are selfish, and there is no need to live with the original owner's guilt and self-blame.

The rain hadn't stopped, but the dark clouds overhead suddenly showed signs of dispersing, and dazzling sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone down.

When I came to my senses, the world before me seemed to have been repainted with vibrant colors.

Green oak trees, pure white walls, silver water towers, and cars as colorful as fruit candies—the colors of Tokyo suddenly become incredibly realistic.

The fine rain, drifting in the sunlight, swayed with a golden light like flames.

Tsukasa Tazaki turned to look at Sakura Kuriyama and gave her a rare smile: "Thank you."

Her smile was as bright as sunshine. Kuriyama Sakura narrowed her eyes: "It's okay. I feel better after I say it. If I keep it to myself, I always feel uneasy."

“That’s right. If you always keep it bottled up inside and don’t release it in time, the suppressed emotions will inevitably fill your head.” Tsukasa Tazaki spread his arms and made a gesture of a balloon inflating and bursting: “Like this, bang and the whole person breaks.”

Kuriyama Sakura shrugged slightly, a faint smile appearing on her lips. This smile was much more formal than any she had seen before; it was a genuine smile.

Sunlight streamed through the transparent umbrella, illuminating her profile. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, her delicate nose and cherry-red, moist lips all exuded captivating beauty.

A faint hum of motors could be heard from Yotsuya Station in the distance, as yellow carriages of the Chuo-Sobu Line sped past on the viaduct.

Suddenly, things changed on the tennis court. Yui Kichikawa walked straight toward Mizuiro Murakami, the cheers of the crowd echoing across the empty playground.

Tsukasa Tazaki glanced at him from afar, then buttoned his shirt and tied his tie.

"Let's go take a look." He greeted Kuriyama Sakura and headed towards the stairs first.

Kuriyama Sakura paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on the stair steps.

Above her head, a gray pigeon circled in the drizzle for a while before finally landing on the spire of the building behind the school. That old building, with its walls covered in green vines, was an auditorium that had been built during the Showa era.

"boom!"

The tall wire mesh of the tennis court trembled, and the small water droplets clinging to it fell off.

Less than ten seconds later, there was another "bang".

"Damn it, don't underestimate people!"

"I will definitely beat you on this court!"

Murakami Mizuiro roared, got up from the ground, gripped his racket with both hands, and stood ready once again.

He treated an insignificant tennis match like one of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Kikawa Yui served the ball again with a blank expression.

Her short athletic skirt, barely covering her thighs, swayed from side to side as she moved vigorously.

Murakami Mizuiro stared at the rapidly bouncing tennis ball, moving quickly with his feet, his shoes screeching against the ground.

"Watch my zero-style slice... Ouch!"

He slipped and fell flat on his face.

"Qichuan——Wei——, Qichuan——Wei——!!!"

The students in Class A immediately erupted in cheers of victory, while the students in Class F appeared somewhat listless. No one blamed Murakami Mizuiro, after all, their opponent was the all-around warrior, Kikawa Yui, whom even the usually strict physical education teacher praised highly.

The so-called "six-sided warrior" refers to someone with experience, defense, speed, skill, power, and serve.

Completely defeated, Murakami Mizuiro could only prop himself up with his tennis racket, and said in frustration, "I give up..."

"Is this how they admit defeat? Their speed of surrender is comparable to that of France in World War II."

Murakami Mizuiro turned around in surprise.

Tsukasa Tazaki walked over to him, took the tennis racket, and turned to point to the other side of the court: "Yui Sugikawa, I'm not afraid of you anymore!"

Chapter Fifty-Nine: An Overwhelming Situation

Where did he get the courage?

Has he forgotten that he's a complete klutz when it comes to sports?

There is definitely more than one person with this question; in fact, it should be said that no one is without doubt.

Fortunately, this tennis match wasn't about honor, and the two players were the top two students in their grade, both academically gifted and even rumored to be dating. Therefore, the students from both classes didn't show any mockery or contempt; they were simply watching with a sense of fascination.

Ignoring the stares around him, Tsukasa Tazaki asked Yui Kikawa, "Can I warm up first?"

The blonde girl nodded, her expression as chilling as dry ice. If you stared at her for more than five seconds, you might get frostbite.

Tsukasa Tazaki placed his racket beside his feet and began stretching exercises on the spot.

He often watches live tennis matches and understands the basic rules and techniques.

The original owner had taken a few tennis lessons in junior high school. However, in the past, she would always use excuses such as "not feeling well" or "not wanting to bother others" to avoid practicing with her classmates and instead practice hitting the ball against the wall by herself.

However, even in a familiar sport, can he really win against Yui Kichikawa, a genius whose achievements, athleticism, art, and even spirit are impeccable?

Tsukasa Tazaki wasn't sure, but the outcome of winning or losing didn't matter to him at all.

The moment he stepped onto the court and faced her head-on, he had already won against himself.

Kikawa Yui wiped away her sweat, then folded her handkerchief and put it in the pocket of her skirt. Her breathing was more rapid than usual, and her face was flushed.

It's hard to guess what she's thinking from the expression on her face.

Murakami Mizuiro's curious gaze swept between the two of them, finally settling on Kuriyama Sakura: "Kuriyama-san, did those two... have some kind of argument before?"

“Somewhat similar.” Kuriyama Sakura crossed her arms, her gaze lingering on Tazaki Tsukasa’s profile. “But it’s not just a verbal altercation; it would be more accurate to describe it as ‘the other party has been detected to be within effective firing range.’”

"Terrible..." Murakami Mizuiro's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Could it be that the relationship between these two has changed from childhood friends to all-out enemies?"

"It's not a full-scale war; it's more like a localized skirmish."

“I see.” Murakami Mizusaka nodded in sudden understanding. “It’s the same principle as a partial truth lesson, where something is revealed, but not the whole truth.”

"Partial Truth Lesson?" Kuriyama Sakura looked away, glancing at him with a puzzled expression.

"Ah, that's swimming class."

Why is swimming lessons called 'Lessons of Partial Truths'?

"Because... there is a saying in ancient Roman prophecy that the truth is always naked. But the girls in swimming class wear school swimsuits that cover the more important parts, only exposing parts of their bodies for everyone to see. So swimming class can only be called a 'partial truth class' and not a 'truth class'."

Kuriyama Sakura didn't say anything, but silently moved her feet away from him.

His eyes showed disdain.

While mentally condemning Murakami Mizuiro to death, Tazaki Tsukasa, who was on good terms with him, also lost 1 point in Kuriyama Sakura's impression of him.

On the tennis court, Tazaki finished his warm-up exercises, picked up his tennis racket, and stood on the baseline.

The PE teacher, sitting in the referee's chair, glanced at both sides and said, "Time is limited, so let's make this match a best-of-three series."

A best-of-three tennis match, given the significant skill gap between the two players, could probably be over in half an hour. The PE teacher thought to himself, "Thank goodness they're not evenly matched; otherwise, we'd have to resort to a single-set decider."

"Good luck, Kikawa-kun!"

"For the honor of Class A, please show him no mercy!"

The students in Class A became excited and cheered loudly. Amidst the frenzy and commotion, the students in Class F, though divided on their opinions, displayed a strong sense of the Olympic spirit of "friendship first, competition second."