My love index is at its maximum.

"Idiot!" Tsukasa Tazaki muttered, mimicking her tone.

"You're the idiot!" Kuriyama Sakura retorted, then chuckled.

In the dimly lit movie theater, the two embraced tightly. The girl's ten fingers seemed to be doing some kind of practice, moving around on Tsukasa Tazaki's legs, tracing awkward and complicated paths.

Chapter 358 Rainy Day, Laundry Shop, Snails...

August 9th, Saturday.

A light drizzle was falling outside.

Tsukasa Tazaki staggered to his feet and peered through the gap in the curtains at the nursing home street in the early morning.

It was still early, and there was no one in sight yet.

In the distance, workers were burning garbage at the garbage station, and wisps of smoke rose into the rain.

"trouble!"

Tsukasa Tazaki frowned and muttered something.

February and March are the transitional seasons, and the weather is always unpredictable. After a few sunny days, it starts to drizzle again.

This kind of weather brings a serious problem: clothes don't dry for several days.

Leaving the covers, Tsukasa Tazaki went to the balcony and touched a T-shirt that he had washed and hung out to dry on Wednesday. It felt half-dry and half-wet. He tried it on and found it very uncomfortable.

Oops……

I'm going to have no clothes to change into tonight...

I haven't washed the clothes I changed out of yesterday and the day before. Should I wear them again?

Well……

Forget it.

Tsukasa Tazaki took out his phone and made a call to Dr. Kobayashi.

"Hey?"

"Hello, Dr. Kobayashi."

"It's Tazaki-kun, ah—"

After letting out a long yawn, she spoke again: "Is there something urgent so early in the morning?"

"I wanted to ask if you have a dryer over there."

"Dryer?"

"Yeah, my clothes take days to dry, I'm practically naked at home."

"Haha, there's a laundromat on the commercial street with dryers. We doctors' uniforms are washed there."

"That's great, thank you Dr. Kobayashi."

"You're welcome. By the way, how is Miss Kuriyama?"

“Her,” Tsukasa Tazaki glanced back at the sleeping beauty under the covers, “that lazybones hasn’t woken up yet.”

Have you been having nightmares lately?

"We only did one event this week, on Wednesday."

"Things are getting better and better. At this rate, we should be able to go out in another month or so."

Hopefully.

The light rain outside the window soaked the ground and trees, but thankfully the air conditioner kept the air fresh, and the fluorescent lights illuminated every corner of the room at a suitable brightness.

Tazaki Tsukasa walked back to the tatami mat and sat down next to Kuriyama Sakura.

He took one of her slender little hands and massaged it in his own; her skin was smooth, soft, and warm.

Under the light, Kuriyama Sakura was still curled up and sleeping peacefully, her breathing even and long, her body small and soft.

Seeing that she showed no signs of having nightmares, Tsukasa Tazaki left the room, went to the kitchen on the first floor, drank a few glasses of water, and then started making breakfast.

He cooked two bowls of oatmeal porridge, made two large fried egg and ham sandwiches, and a vegetable salad. On Saturday morning, in the quiet kitchen of the sanatorium in the mountains, he was the only one frantically disrupting the peaceful harmony.

When I returned to the room with breakfast, Kuriyama Sakura had already woken up and was sitting by the window, staring blankly at the rain.

The rain showed no signs of stopping; the sky was completely obscured by hazy, overcast clouds, and the rain poured down incessantly.

Hearing Tsukasa Tazaki's footsteps, she rubbed her eyes and said lazily, "Luckily it's raining again today."

"What's so good about it?" Tsukasa Tazaki sat down next to her.

"If it were sunny, we'd definitely have to go to the fields to do farm work again. It's better when it rains, right?"

“That’s true,” Tsukasa Tazaki nodded, reaching out to tap her on the head. “But for now, let’s not worry about the rain. Please go wash your face and brush your teeth, then have breakfast.”

"That mere Tazaki, how despicable!"

The minister covered his forehead, glaring at him angrily.

"You're getting more and more outrageous!"

"Any objections?"

"I have a huge opinion!"

Ignore it!

The moment he finished speaking, Tsukasa Tazaki's arm touched Sakura Kuriyama's shoulder, and he reached out with his left hand to hold her slender waist.

Kuriyama Sakura gritted her little fangs and stared at him without moving, but she made no attempt to look away.

The next second, Tsukasa Tazaki moved his body sideways, completely binding her small body, and pressed his lips against hers, taking advantage of the moment when Kuriyama Sakura paused, he firmly kissed her lips.

Lately, when Kuriyama Sakura doesn't feel like reading to him at night, she'll play the guitar, play a few games of chess, or chat with him. But no matter what she's doing, she'll be interrupted by Tazaki Tsukasa's sudden kiss like this.

The relationship between the two grew increasingly intimate and comfortable.

Now, her lips once again covered the upper minister's lips, but as always, she kept her lips tightly closed, refusing to give in so easily.

Tsukasa Tazaki wasn't in a hurry.

After enjoying the sweet softness of the minister's lips for a while, his hands gently roamed over her body.

Only at this point would Kuriyama Sakura slowly open her mouth and touch the shy response inside.

The girl in front of him obediently closed her eyes and let him kiss her.

Tsukasa Tazaki tightened his arms around her, and the girl's soft body pressed against his chest. He savored the real touch of his captain, then quietly pulled away from her lips and whispered in her ear, "I love you the most, Captain..."

Kuriyama Sakura shrank her neck and then gently shook her head from side to side.

At first glance, it seemed that the tickling sensation near her ear was making her uncomfortable, but in reality, she was just trying to create some distance between her head and him so she could stare at him with a scrutinizing gaze and ask, "Do you like me the most?"

"..."

"Where's Hanami-nee?"

"..."

"Tsk tsk," Kuriyama Sakura revealed her signature cold laugh, her lips curling into a mocking twist, "What a two-faced scumbag!"

"Stop making trouble!" Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't argue with her, so he reached out and rubbed her cheek. "It's Saturday today, hurry up and go to the sink for breakfast."

Is it Saturday already?

"That's right, Shimamoto-sensei and Shiori are both coming today. As the host, can you be a little more proactive?"

Kuriyama Sakura then stopped mocking him, got out of bed, combed her hair, and carefully put on her clothes.

Tazaki Tsukasa propped his head up with one hand, watching her get dressed, carefully buttoning each button of her coat, then putting on her thermal socks, and standing in front of the full-length mirror to check for wrinkles or stains.

Watching a girl get dressed is truly fascinating.

Especially a girl as elegant and noble as the Minister, she is the kind of girl everyone pursues, like a big star appearing on stage. She can captivate the audience in the theater without even saying a word, making the other girls pale in comparison.

Wherever she went, envious eyes followed her.

Seeing a girl like that getting dressed in front of you, how could you not feel a sense of accomplishment?

After changing her clothes, Kuriyama Sakura went to the bathroom next door to wash her face and brush her eyes.

In the room where he was all alone, Tsukasa Tazaki was pondering a question.

Now, this coveted superstar has been taken off the stage and confined to his home, keeping those who vainly sought his traces far away, and keeping him within his sight every day.

This was supposed to be a wonderful thing, but Tsukasa Tazaki didn't really like it.

After brushing her teeth quickly and carefully, Kuriyama Sakura returned to her room and knelt down next to him to eat breakfast.

The two ate their oatmeal porridge, then broke their sandwiches in half, releasing the aromas of toasted bread and egg whites and yolks. Kuriyama Sakura took a bite of the sandwich, then calmly wiped the bread crumbs and egg yolks from the corners of her mouth with a tissue, her movements impeccably elegant.

This small movement captivated Tsukasa Tazaki.

This was no longer the aloof and lonely girl he had seen in the ATF club's activity room.

The image of their first encounter remained vividly in his memory, and Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't help but marvel at how time could so miraculously and imperceptibly reshape a person's image.

Last spring and summer, she stirred Tazaki Tsukasa's heart because of the desires aroused in him by her proud and radiant demeanor, and his longing for a girl who matched him.

She still retains some of her former pride, but it has been subdued and is no longer outwardly displayed. The haughty young woman, her sharp edges softened, still holds a stubborn smile in her eyes; her graceful figure appears so light and beautiful against the backdrop of the rain.

In front of Tsukasa Tazaki, she appeared both excited and restrained, and after kissing him, she seemed flustered and uneasy, no longer possessing the mystery she once had.

"Hey," Kuriyama Sakura said, biting into her sandwich and giving him a strange look, "What are you daydreaming about?"

"Oh, it's nothing..."

Tazaki Tsukasa snapped out of his daze and shrugged: "We're going to the laundromat outside later. Do you have any clothes you haven't washed yet? Bring them out with you."

"It's in the laundry basket in the bathroom."

"Okay, I'll go get it in a bit. Is the underwear there too?"

"I always wash my own underwear, how could you say something so silly!" Kuriyama Sakura stared at him with increasing curiosity. "Tell me honestly, were you thinking about something strange when I was brushing my teeth and washing my face?"

She really is a girl with an alarmingly keen sense of touch...

“I’m telling you, this is really scary,” Tsukasa Tazaki said helplessly, spreading his hands. “Being your boyfriend is so unfortunate; I have absolutely no privacy in front of you!”