My love index is at its maximum.

Tazaki Tsukasa accepted the gift with both hands, bowed deeply in gratitude, and said, "I am extremely grateful!"

"Ah~" Kuriyama Sakura couldn't help but let out a small yawn.

After leaving the cabin, the two returned along the road.

During this time, Hoshino Hanami sent a message, telling Tazaki Tsukasa to keep an eye on the time, as it was almost time to bring Sakura back.

The sixteen-year-old German Shepherd followed behind the two men all the way to the thicket before turning back to the lake.

Tsukasa Tazaki examined the cat paw coaster the whole way.

He doesn't know much about pottery.

All I can say is that this coaster is very thick overall, far from being delicate and exquisite, and the curves of the edges are subtly crooked, lacking any refined aesthetic appeal.

Kuriyama Sakura stared at his eyes with amusement: "Did you figure it out?"

"Let me think about it some more..." Tsukasa Tazaki held the coaster, her expression gentle.

Don't know anything about pottery?

It's ok.

Tsukasa Tazaki can be appreciated from an artistic perspective.

Compared to the exquisite porcelain pieces on the market, this work by the nine-year-old minister is relatively simple in style. The bottom is white, the front has pink paw pads, and the middle of the little paws is outlined with gray shadows.

I've figured out what to say...

Tsukasa Tazaki took her arm and smiled slightly: "How should I put it, this coaster carries a warm aftertaste that can relax the viewer's heart."

Kuriyama Sakura suppressed a laugh and waited for him to continue making things up.

“Look at this edge,” Tsukasa Tazaki said, holding up the coaster and running his fingertips over it. “Although it’s a little uneven and has some rough grain, it feels like a natural stone. When you touch it, you get a sense of calm and security, like you’re touching nature directly.”

“Go on,” Kuriyama Sakura said, staring at him with an even bigger amusement.

"..."

That's all the words I have...

Kuriyama Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly: "Any other advantages?"

There's a hidden meaning in his words.

Another meaning is, "If you don't go against your conscience and say a few more words of praise, I'll never let you off the hook."

As she gazed at him, Tsukasa Tazaki's mind raced, and every word that could possibly be associated with the cat paw coaster was unearthed from the depths of his memory.

"Look at the pink of the paw pads, it's as if the color has been given life and is so vibrant. And the gray between the cat's paws looks extremely indifferent, but it plays a great role in the background, increasing the overall sense of layering and realism."

"The white background looks even better, like floating clouds in the sky, don't you think?"

"Just one glance from me gives me a sense of calm and tranquility, like sitting under the eaves watching the summer clouds drift by."

"And these cat paw-shaped coasters are simply an incredible genius idea. They're like leaves scattered on the forest floor. When you place a cup on one, it's as if some adorable big cat is silently stepping over it without making a sound."

Throughout their conversation, Kuriyama Sakura kept looking at him.

His gaze was different from his usual cool and aloof expression; it was lively and alert, just like the way Shiori Ninomiya often looked at him.

This posture made Tsukasa Tazaki increasingly uneasy, as if she were about to leave the Earth's surface and travel alone to a mysterious, unknown land at any moment.

Tsukasa Tazaki didn't know if that world would be better for her... but at least, he needed her to keep the world he lived in.

"The most wonderful thing about this coaster is..." he said, struggling to find the right words, as if he were telling a story, "...it lets me roughly understand how Kuriyama, at the age of nine, faced the world alone..."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand down to his chest: "I guess, I'm only this tall, little Sakura, right?"

"Mm." Kuriyama Sakura nodded slightly.

The leaves overhead rustled in the wind, making a sound like ripples.

"Little Sakura must be very pretty and cute, like a real little fairy. She gets up at seven o'clock every day, washes herself, and cooks a simple breakfast. In the morning, she works with her fellow patients, feeding chickens or herding calves. In the afternoon, she might go to the mountains to sketch or make ceramics in the lakeside pavilion. In the evening... in the evening, does she go to the church to play the piano for the choir?"

Upon hearing this, Kuriyama Sakura squinted her eyes as if she were looking at a distant landscape.

That's true. There was only one elderly pastor in the sanatorium's church, and the choir members were all patients. She had been doing the accompaniment work for about four years.

The wind blew in from the entrance of the mixed grove.

Her long eyelashes fluttered, and the curled ends of her hair trembled.

The clouds overhead were blown away by the wind, and the warm afternoon sun of winter shone down, illuminating this small patch of world.

“Hey, to be honest,” Tsukasa Tazaki moved closer to her, put his arm around her shoulder, and hugged her tightly, “When Hanami came, did she hold you and lull you to sleep? I had a hallucination of seeing her treat you like that.”

“Yes, there is,” Kuriyama Sakura gazed at him with her clear eyes. “She was like an older sister, but back then she was more like my mother. When I came here to sleep on weekends, I would crawl into her bed and let her hold me tightly as I slept.”

"Is this how you hug someone?"

As he spoke, Tsukasa Tazaki moved his hands down, one arm around her waist and the other around her back.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” Kuriyama Sakura nestled against his chest and gently shook her head. “Hana-nee’s body is so soft and warm; you can’t compare to that.”

"The differences in male and female anatomy," Tsukasa Tazaki said helplessly, "What can I do about it..."

“Don’t be discouraged,” Kuriyama Sakura comforted him. “It’s not that there are no similarities at all. At least when you hold me, my heart feels just as warm.”

"Thank you for your kind words, Minister!" Tazaki Tsukasa hugged her tightly and walked towards the grassy bushes on the side.

Kuriyama Sakura panicked a little: "What are you going over there for?"

"No one can see us here, so we can do things that couples do together."

"?"

"Isn't that right?"

“Theoretically, that’s correct…” Kuriyama Sakura looked up at him unhappily, “But why should I do those things with you?”

"My dear minister, I was just saying it casually, my purpose was to spend more time alone with you."

“In that case,” Kuriyama Sakura gazed into his eyes and smiled slightly, “the department head will allow you to be rude this once.”

The two were completely hidden in the reeds, and nothing could be seen except for the sky and white clouds.

Tazaki gently laid her down on the grass, letting her rest her head on his arm, and they stared blankly at the sky together.

On a clear winter day, the sky is as blue as a canvas.

The grass beneath them had a full sense of the brief death before spring; before long, they would sprout new shoots and shimmer in the clear spring light.

"Hey, Tazaki," Kuriyama Sakura asked in his ear, "Have the results from Hanami-nee's side come out yet?"

"Hmm," Tsukasa Tazaki replied, squinting.

For some reason, he felt sleepy, and drowsiness assailed him like a long-planned assassin.

Feeling the girl's warm body, he longed to fall asleep right there and not care when he woke up.

"What was the result?"

"The best outcome would be... for you to undergo a period of recuperation to see if you can recover to the mindset you had before you met me. Although you still won't be quite like a normal person, it would at least be better than your current situation."

"And what about you?" Kuriyama Sakura, who had anticipated this outcome, remained calm.

Tsukasa Tazaki murmured in a dreamlike voice, "Go back to school..."

“I expected this.” Kuriyama Sakura curled up her legs and lay down on her side next to him. “These people are really useless. I’m only sixteen years old and don’t know much about the world. But one thing is certain: as a patient, I know my own problem better than anyone else, so why are those adults still so self-righteous? Don’t you think they’re all idiots?”

Half a minute passed after I finished speaking, but I still didn't receive a reply.

Even... Tsukasa Tazaki next to him seemed to be snoring softly.

You actually fell asleep?

Kuriyama Sakura angrily knelt up and shook his head: "Hey, the club president is lecturing you. Don't you have any respect at all?"

"Ok?"

Tsukasa Tazaki groggily opened his eyes: "What did you say?"

Looking closely at his sun-drenched face, Kuriyama Sakura felt a sense of defeat, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Perhaps it was because she resented Tazaki Tsukasa for backing down when he should have, or perhaps it was because she resented her own stubbornness and inability to escape her mental torment.

"What's wrong?" Tsukasa Tazaki rubbed his eyes.

Their eyes met, and Kuriyama Sakura chuckled softly, "It's nothing, I just thought you were asleep and wanted to wake you up so you'd stay sleepy..."

The sound grew softer and softer, gradually disappearing from her lips. Her body remained in the outstretched position, and the forced smile vanished from her face.

Listening to the rustling of the wind through the reeds, Kuriyama Sakura took a deep breath, then pursed her lips and closed her eyes.

The sunlight that fell on Tsukasa Tazaki's face was blocked by her head.

Then, his lips touched her cold, soft lips, delicate and tender, intertwined and inseparable.

Chapter 336 From now on, I'll entrust my life to Tsukasa Tazaki!

A passionate kiss.

Kuriyama Sakura's body was soft and warm, her hands stroking Tazaki Tsukasa's cheeks.

“Eh, Tazaki…” She lowered her head, and her beautiful black hair fell gently down.

Tazaki Tsukasa reached out and brushed her hair behind her ears, revealing her small ears, which were already bright red.

The chirping of birds from the mixed woods reached her ears along with her breathing. Looking into her still clear, dark eyes, Tsukasa Tazaki's throat bobbed, and he turned her over, pressing her down onto the reeds.

"Whoo~"

A warm breath escaped from her soft, cherry-colored lips, revealing her tiny, pointed canine teeth, just as adorable as her face.

Tsukasa Tazaki calmed down.

Face to face, sweat beaded on the girl's pretty face.

He could smell a faint scent of sweat—it was her sweat, and his sweat, the two subtly blended together.

The withered yellow reeds swayed in the warm afternoon breeze of January, their rustling sound filling the silence between the two.

Tsukasa Tazaki closed his eyes and breathed slowly and laboriously, lost in a daze.

"What are you thinking about?" Kuriyama Sakura gently stroked his cheek.

Her soft, small hands were already sweating.