My love index is at its maximum.

From the very beginning, he seemed to know how to stir up his own emotions and create a resonance between himself and others.

Who will let me turn back time and share this with you in person?

Regretful impression

Without that wall in your house

Here...

In this church...

In the sanatorium where he had lived from age six to twelve, he used a song to express his thoughts and feelings. It was both true to what had happened and deeply moving, conveying a sentiment that only she could understand even in the presence of others...

The minister finds it hard to resist such thoughtful little romantic gestures!

Take your photo album

A close look from the beginning

On your sixth birthday

He is already my idol

The gentle melody and tender vocals are like notes that resonate in people's hearts.

When they stopped, Dr. Kobayashi clapped her hands happily. "What a wonderful piece! I love it so much!" she said cheerfully. "It's just like the gentle drizzle outside the window, softly sprinkling across the boundless grassland."

"Of course you like it if it's free," Tsukasa Tazaki retorted.

"Don't be so stingy," Dr. Kobayashi patted his pocket and pulled out a 100-yen coin. "Hey, I'm still not quite done. Can I request a song?"

"This week is over, see you next week!"

Tsukasa Tazaki left the piano and walked towards Sakura Kuriyama.

"Oh, what a pity," Dr. Kobayashi shook her head regretfully, then looked at Yui Kikawa, "Can you play the piano? If not, the accordion or harp will do."

Yui Kawakawa shook her head.

She still had a blank expression, like a porcelain doll.

“Then I’ll have to do it myself~” Dr. Kobayashi stood up and walked towards the piano. As she passed by Tsukasa Tazaki, she smiled and said, “I’m not very good at playing, so don’t laugh at me later.”

She sat down at the piano and began to play "Für Elise".

The fingering wasn't very skillful, and I couldn't remember the sheet music, but fortunately, the piece itself was full of emotion, and the performer's joy was expressed through the notes, making it quite pleasant to listen to.

Walking up to Kuriyama Sakura, Tazaki Tsukasa asked, "Are you satisfied?"

"Super cheesy," Kuriyama Sakura replied, suppressing a laugh.

"Does the Minister like it?"

"After all, she's a girl. Even if I didn't pursue her intentionally, it's only natural to be touched if we met by chance, right?"

"It seems I need to work even harder."

"Ok?"

"You didn't offer a kiss, so it must be because I didn't do a good enough job."

"...Tasaki-san," Kuriyama Sakura's tone turned slightly cold, "is your brain, like the wooden roof of a church, rotted by rain and sunlight?"

"But that's really what I thought..."

"Tell me a sweet nothing, and if it pleases the Minister, he might grant your impudent request."

As she said this, her haughty little face was so cute that you wanted to tie her up with ropes and play some kind of erotic bondage play.

"Is it okay if it's not playful?"

"no!"

"...Then I'll have to call Hanami-nee first and apply for a 'flirting skills export license'."

"You're such a boring man!" Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her temples and sighed as if she had a headache. "Alright, stop bothering me, or I'll want to stomp on you again!"

"You want this kind of good thing?" Tazaki Tsukasa immediately stretched out his foot. "Please use force, don't be gentle with me!"

Next door, Qichuan Wei frowned slightly and scoffed, "Pervert!"

Tazaki Tsukasa immediately turned around and asked her, "When Yui stepped on my face, why didn't you call yourself a pervert?"

"...?" Qichuan Yui blushed and looked away: "I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

"Villas in Omacho, in Kyoto, and in your Minato Ward..."

"Enough, shut up!"

“You all keep saying I’m a masochist, but you’re all ignoring one fact,” Tsukasa Tazaki shrugged, stating it as if it were a fact, “Actually, if you weren’t all sadists, how could I be a masochist?”

"I don't!"

The two girls denied it in unison, showing remarkable tacit understanding.

Young people these days like to play like this... Dr. Kobayashi lamented as he played the piano that he had indeed been in the sanatorium for too long and had become disconnected from the outside world.

……

It was almost noon when we left the church.

Led by Tsukasa Tazaki, the three of them went to the only restaurant in the sanatorium for lunch.

The restaurant was small, with only twenty or thirty seats, half of which were partitioned off and not open to the public. The lunch menu was very limited, consisting of only eggs, grilled fish, stewed meat, potatoes, and a vegetable salad.

“Patients are encouraged to cook for themselves here, so the restaurant rarely has ready-made food,” Tsukasa Tazaki explained. “Please have a seat, I’ll go order.”

He strode toward the order window, where Yui Kuriyama and Sakura Kuriyama sat facing each other at the old wooden dining table.

The two remained silent for a while.

"Can you get out of here?" Yui Kirikawa suddenly asked.

Kuriyama Sakura placed her hands on the table: "Why do you ask that?"

"You looked a little scary this morning..."

"It's normal."

“I find it rather strange,” Yui Kikawa sighed softly. “Do you remember when we were in Oma-cho, I told you that I envied you?”

Kuriyama Sakura recalled for a moment and nodded: "You said you envied my life, that you envied my freedom and happiness."

"Yes, I didn't expect the price to be so high..."

"Actually, it's not like that. I can't say I'm free and happy..." Kuriyama Sakura said in a light voice, "When I was a child, I never had any self-confidence. I was always trembling with fear. That feeling is still in my heart, and I often dream about it."

"Can you overcome this?" Yui Kichikawa asked nervously.

“Little by little,” Kuriyama Sakura said, then, as if remembering something, she snapped her fingers together and said, “I’ve worked harder than you think, and I can overcome that feeling little by little, just like a lumberjack in the forest.”

Qichuan asked in confusion, "A lumberjack?"

“Yes, someone diligently logging all by himself.” Kuriyama Sakura smiled happily.

This analogy was used by Tsukasa Tazaki when he first visited her home. At the time, she thought Tsukasa Tazaki was crazy, but now, thinking back, she realizes that the analogy was incredibly apt.

"I think it's remarkable that you could do that," said Yui Kichikawa with admiration.

"Refers to effort?"

"It means working hard enough."

Kuriyama Sakura smiled silently.

“Hey,” Tsukasa Tazaki asked, turning back from the order window, “What would you two like to drink? We have orange juice and apple juice, no coffee, but we have milk tea.”

Orange juice.

"milk tea."

"Alright~ Please wait a moment, ladies!"

As Tazaki Tsukasa turned around, Kikawa Yui suddenly remembered something and leaned half her body over the table, "Did you and Tazaki... you know...?"

"Hmm?" Kuriyama Sakura blinked, puzzled.

“Sigh,” Kikawa Yui thought for a moment, then shook her head with a sigh, “After so many days of intimate interaction, could it be that you haven’t given me your first time yet?”

"...?" Kuriyama Sakura's cheeks flushed instantly, and she bit her little fangs: "Is there a problem?"

"Look at you, don't be nervous, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I'm not embarrassed at all!"

"Why not yet?" Yui Kichikawa pressed for an answer.

"It's because..."

"It's progressed this far, is it that bastard Tazaki hasn't taken the initiative?"

“Yes,” Kuriyama Sakura let out a long breath, her tone regaining some composure, “He certainly had those thoughts, but I don’t know why… sigh, I can’t explain these things.”

"Tsk tsk, I feel quite sorry for you."

Yui Kichikawa's expression was somewhat strange.

"Envious?" Kuriyama Sakura ran her fingers along the grain of the wooden dining table.

"Well, a little bit," Yui Kichikawa said. "After all, that guy wasn't very gentle with me. He used handcuffs and threatened me with the words 'becoming strangers,' and he often made me pretend to be a princess who was imprisoned. It was kind of weird."

“It’s amazing you can put up with this,” Kuriyama Sakura sighed. “If he dared to treat me like that, I’d make him go to Hokkaido and dig potatoes for a few years to atone for his sins.”

"Actually, it's quite interesting."

"Eh?"

"While doing those things, I felt so ashamed, I just wanted to die right then and there. But looking back on it afterwards, it was kind of exciting, and I even secretly looked forward to doing it again..."

"Alas--"

Kuriyama Sakura looked at her with utter disgust: "No wonder you two got together, you're both perverts!"

"Maybe, anyway, I felt both ashamed and happy at the same time," said Yui Kichikawa in a flat, indifferent tone.

“He’s corrupted you!” Kuriyama Sakura shook her head regretfully.

That proud and perfect girl actually became a fallen saint, which benefited that bastard Tsukasa Tazaki. The department head felt it was such a pity.