My love index is at its maximum.

Chapter Sixty-Two: Kana Shimamoto Just Wants to Matchmake

There are two trees on the path leading to the auditorium.

One is a cherry tree, and the other is also a cherry tree.

A gray dove was perched on the tree to the left, and a white dove was perched on the tree to the right. Two umbrellas passed by under the trees. Under the umbrella in front was a teacher, and under the umbrella behind was a pair of students.

"Is Yui Kirikawa alright?"

"It's just a minor scratch, nothing serious."

"That's good."

Kuriyama Sakura turned to look at him: "You still care about her?"

"That's not true." Tsukasa Tazaki casually brushed his bangs aside, his tone indifferent: "I just remembered and asked casually."

The voice was clear and bright, neither too fast nor too slow, neither too loud nor too soft, showing neither tension nor excessive ease—just right.

This is a sound that you won't easily forget once you've heard it.

Just as impressive as his clean-cut, handsome face, white and even teeth, and straight and dignified nose—the above is from Kuriyama Sakura's inner thoughts.

The rain was still falling, and it was already quite dark. Few people were walking on the school road, and only the dim light from the streetlights was reflected on the wet pavement.

"Hey, Tazaki-san."

"Ok?"

"In this situation, it's usually the boy who holds the umbrella, didn't you know?"

"There's no need for that. Kuriyama-san isn't your average female classmate."

Tsukasa Tazaki put his hands in his pockets, a cool breeze blowing in his face, and his bangs, which didn't go past his eyebrows, swayed slightly in the wind.

Kuriyama Sakura shook her head and sighed, "If I hadn't observed that you had inappropriate thoughts about the two teachers, it would be hard not to suspect that you are attracted to men."

"What do you mean by 'improper thoughts'? That's called infatuation, understand?"

"To love two at the same time?"

"..."

"See, I hit a nerve." Kuriyama Sakura's lips curled up slightly, her expression smug.

As I passed a pavilion, two tabby cats were licking their fur. When someone walked by, they looked up and meowed a few times.

Tsukasa Tazaki glanced at it and changed the subject, saying, "It seems like there are more stray cats at school these days."

When the topic turned to cats, Kuriyama Sakura gave up a rare opportunity to tease him, shifting her gaze to the two tabby cats, her eyes sparkling: "Around this time every year, stray cats from the vicinity of Kitagawa Academy come to stay at the school temporarily until the rainy season ends."

"No wonder the sardine has been looking so gloomy lately. Turns out a cat's been competing for its attention. Serves it right! Oh, by the way, where's the sardine's den?"

"It's right in front of the auditorium." Kuriyama Sakura pointed ahead, where there was a small wooden cabin on the lawn in front of the building.

Tsukasa Tazaki nodded, his tone firm: "I need to teach that fat cat a lesson."

What do you want to do?

"Tomorrow I'll put up a sign here that says, 'This cat is obese. For its health, please do not feed it.'"

Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her smooth forehead and exclaimed in bewilderment, "What have you two been through to form such an unbelievable cross-species feud?"

As dusk deepened and the surroundings became desolate, flocks of gray pigeons swept overhead.

After leaving the secluded school path, the two arrived at the most remote part of the school, an auditorium that no longer served as an auditorium.

Kana Shimamoto walked up the stone steps of the auditorium, stood in front of the door, and looked back. In the corridor beside her was a vending machine, its colorful beverage bottles standing out vividly against the gloomy sky.

Tazaki Tsukasa looked up at the three-story wooden building that was built in 30.

The exterior is quite old; half of the walls are a rotten black, while the other half is covered with green vines. Some of the windows on the first floor are missing glass and have been simply covered with newspaper.

Against the backdrop of dark clouds, the entire auditorium gave the impression of being on the verge of collapse, much like a dilapidated building.

It is said that ten years ago, the school considered demolishing the auditorium and rebuilding it on the original site. This move was met with strong protests from the student union on the grounds of "protecting Beichuan's history," and both sides adopted a tough stance, resulting in a standoff that lasted for half a year.

Ultimately, the school compromised and built a new auditorium on another vacant lot on campus. The dilapidated "Beichuan History" building in front of us has become an activity room and equipment storage for some student organizations.

As he stepped onto the moss-covered stone steps leading to the main entrance of the auditorium, Tsukasa Tazaki walked to Kana Shimamoto's side and took the umbrella she offered.

Kana Shimamoto leaned close to his ear and said with a smile, "You two get along really well. I've never seen Kuriyama talk so much with anyone before. Hmm... and you too."

The voice wasn't deliberately lowered; all three people could hear it.

Kuriyama Sakura carefully wiped the raindrops off the umbrella with her handkerchief before putting it into her schoolbag. Her expression revealed nothing of her state of mind; the girl who had shown occasional mood swings just moments before seemed to have vanished without a trace, as if blown away by a gust of wind.

Tsukasa Tazaki stared at the rain outside; it wasn't heavy, just a gentle, tender drizzle.

After a while, he turned around and smiled: "The teacher's mentality... is quite young. To me, it feels like... like a high school girl who likes to gossip about love."

"Hmm... Is Tazaki-san praising this old auntie?" Shimamoto Kana took off her glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief, her pale fingertips quite pretty.

"In my heart, my teacher is not old at all."

"Your mouth would be so much better used on Kuriyama-kun." Shimamoto Kana chuckled and poked his forehead, saying as she put on her glasses, "I really want to see you two get together."

Tsukasa Tazaki asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"Isn't it natural for outstanding boys and outstanding girls to be together?"

Kana Shimamoto glanced at Sakura Kuriyama, who had somehow put on headphones, and said, "The scene of the two of you chatting under one umbrella just now was so tender that anyone who saw it could feel a sense of affection."

“A tender affection?” Tsukasa Tazaki murmured to himself, then chuckled. “I think it’s because I’m handsome and she’s beautiful that you get this illusion.”

“Teacher is not such a superficial person!” Shimamoto Kana pushed up her glasses and said with a smile, “It feels like you two are having an intimate and sweet conversation. Just hearing your voices makes me think of bright sunshine and cool sea, with a boy lying lazily on the hot beach and a beautiful girl lying next to him.”

Tazaki Tsukasa touched her forehead and muttered, "You don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense?"

"You're not romantic at all, I don't want to talk to you anymore!"

Shimamoto Kana angrily punched his shoulder, then ran to Kuriyama Sakura's side and, ignoring the girl's refusal, dragged her to the other side of the corridor to whisper to her.

Tazaki Tsukasa leaned against the door, tilting his head back to observe the mold stains clinging to the corners of the ceiling. The mold looked like clothes that hadn't been washed for months, and probably smelled bad.

Occasionally, the two women in conversation would turn around and glance at Tsukasa Tazaki, occasionally revealing a cryptic smile.

The rain continued to fall at a steady pace.

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Literature Club Incident

"Hey, Sachiko-nee, I have something to do tonight, I'd like to ask for the day off."

"Hey? What's wrong?"

"The teacher assigned some tasks..." Tsukasa Tazaki glanced at the two women, one big and one small, and said helplessly, "They won't let us go home for dinner until we finish them."

"Is that so... Okay... I was thinking of staying at the store with you until you get off work tonight."

The proprietress's voice sounded a little down, and Tsukasa Tazaki comforted her, "If there's still time, I'll rush back to the shop."

"It's okay, you go ahead and do your thing."

"Okay, I'll hang up now."

"Oh, by the way, are you free next Wednesday night, Tazaki-kun?"

"I'm free. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'll talk to you again on Monday, it's hard to explain over the phone. I'm hanging up now, bye-bye!"

After hanging up the phone, Tsukasa Tazaki rubbed his temples in confusion.

I don't know what triggered the boss's wife to treat me so well lately. She stays with me at the store every day until I close, and even gives me free face wash. She's also said she'll give me a raise, which makes the other employees in the store joke that they're being kept by a sugar daddy.

Sigh, what a happy problem.

If things continue like this, it seems that the only way to repay this debt is to give back all the savings I've accumulated over the past fifteen years.

Ah...no!

I am completely devoted to Hoshino-sensei!

Tazaki Tsukasa rubbed his cheeks vigorously, forcibly deleting the strange images from his mind, and turned his head to look at the other side of the corridor.

The two women were still whispering to each other.

Both women, one tall and one short, were undeniably charming; one was gentle and dignified, the other aloof and refined. Shimamoto Kana's hair was swept back, revealing her delicate white ears and elegant neck. Kuriyama Sakura's ponytail cascaded down her back, the ends swaying gently in the breeze as they touched her shoulders.

Suddenly, the wind picked up. Tazaki glanced at the sky; it was only a little past five o'clock, but it was already terrifyingly dark, and a storm could strike at any moment.

The change in the sky also caught the attention of the two women. Shimamoto Kana let go of Kuriyama Sakura, walked back to Tazaki Tsukasa's side, and grabbed his arm without saying a word, pulling him inside.

Upon entering, a musty smell immediately assaulted my nostrils.

"Teacher...you have to tell me something, right?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked, covering his nose.

On rainy days, every corner of this old-fashioned wooden building feels damp, making one feel uncomfortable all over.

"We're almost there, let's go take a look first."

Kana Shimamoto grabbed Tsukasa Tazaki's arm, not caring at all that her upper body was almost entirely pressed against him.

The three people's footsteps creaked and groaned on the old wooden floor.

Kuriyama Sakura followed behind alone, noticing she had stepped on something strange. She lifted her foot, revealing a centipede crushed by the sole of her shoe. She shrank back, hugged her arms tightly, and continued walking.

After walking halfway around the first-floor corridor, Kana Shimamoto stopped in front of a door. There was a sign above it, and Tsukasa Tazaki looked up at it.

【Literature Department】

Kana Shimamoto reached out and pulled open the wooden sliding door, and Tsukasa Tazaki glanced inside.

The room, less than 20 square meters, had three lattice windows. Yellow curtains were drawn to one side, revealing that each window had sections covered with newspaper. In the center was a long desk, two office chairs, and four spare plastic chairs. On the desk were pencil cases, a potted plant with a few small yellow petals, and a mountain of folders piled up to one side.

On the wall near the door hung a simple, almost imperceptible, pendulum clock, below which was a large storage cabinet. On either side of the room were antique-style beechwood bookshelves, filled with books.

Countless odds and ends were scattered on the ground: water cups, calendars, vases, mechanical pencils, and a bag of cat food spilled all over the floor.

It looks exactly like a scene after an earthquake.

After observing for a while, Tsukasa Tazaki asked Kana Shimamoto, "What's going on?"

Kana Shimamoto rested her chin on her hand: "I asked you to come here because I want to find out what's going on."