My love index is at its maximum.

This "younger sister" is not as simple-minded as the idiot Shikami.

Seeing that Kuriyama Sakura had voluntarily given up her seat, Ninomiya Shiori instantly forgot that she was still faking her tears. She plopped down on the sofa, leaning her shoulder against the innocent Hokkaido girl, Tazaki Tsukasa, and said with a smile, "Okay, I've already forgiven Sakura."

"...?"

Kuriyama Sakura blinked.

The current situation is that Kana Shimamoto is to the left of Tsukasa Tazaki, and Shiori Ninomiya is to the right of Tsukasa Tazaki.

And myself...

It seems there are no seats available?

“Uh, Minister, here,” Tsukasa Tazaki patted his thigh, “you can sit in the middle if you don’t mind.”

Kuriyama Sakura glared at him coldly: "Shut up, it's all your fault!"

After saying that, she looked at Shiori Ninomiya's face and shook her head with a mixture of helplessness and amusement.

She was about to speak when Shiori Ninomiya tilted her head, a bright smile spreading across her face: "Sakura isn't going to insult me, is she?"

That smile is so adorable, like a little deer suddenly appearing under cherry blossoms in springtime in Nara. Even if it snatches a cookie from your hand, it's hard to get angry.

Kuriyama Sakura had no choice but to turn around and continue glaring at Tazaki Tsukasa.

Since you can't bear to criticize the energetic girl, why not continue criticizing the scumbag?

Tazaki Tsukasa looked completely innocent, but dared not speak out even if he felt wronged.

"Are you having a headache now?" Shimamoto Kana leaned closer and whispered teasingly in his ear, "None of the women you've been with are easy to deal with. You're going to have a lot of trouble for the next few decades."

"How dare you laugh?" Tsukasa Tazaki retorted. "If you hadn't forbade me to say it, would things be like this now?"

“My wife’s life has been boring lately, so she naturally wants to find some fun.” Shimamoto Kana smiled mischievously, glancing at the milk tea that had been brewed on the table. “It smells so good, I want to drink it.”

Kuriyama Sakura's face, which had just regained its composure, suddenly turned red again.

"I don't want to talk to you about this..." she muttered, picking up a small stool, hiding far away, and sitting down with her knees drawn up to her chest.

Her fair neck and long ponytail clung to her knees, which were encased in black stockings, like a pitiful thing that had been forgotten.

"Kiki," Shiori Ninomiya said, gazing at the milk tea on the table and licking her lips, "Aren't you going to drink it?"

Tsukasa Tazaki's eyes widened: "You want to drink it?"

“No, I want to watch Kiki drink it,” Shiori Ninomiya smiled and gently bumped her head against his chest. “It’s foot bath water, you know. Once you drink Sakura’s, you won’t be able to refuse Shiori’s anymore, right?”

This country kid is so good at acting cute! Tsukasa Tazaki solemnly refused, "I won't drink anyone's foot bath water!"

"sure?"

Kana Shimamoto covered her lips and chuckled.

“You say you won’t drink the water used to wash feet?” she asked mischievously, “Then what about licking feet?”

"Hmm..." Tsukasa Tazaki looked thoughtful, glancing furtively at the hazy sky outside the window, and asked uncertainly, "...Is this considered washing vegetables?"

Having finally managed to squeeze out this answer, and to avoid any further questioning, he quickly said, "I'll go prepare lunch for you," and then hurriedly picked up the tray from the table and headed to the kitchen.

"Hey, kiki~"

Shiori Ninomiya called out from behind, "Are you planning to sneak into the kitchen and drink it all by yourself?"

"..."

Tsukasa Tazaki remained silent.

On the sofa, Shimamoto Kana reached out and patted Ninomiya Shiori's shoulder: "Don't tell anyone, or he'll lose face and won't drink it."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Tsukasa Tazaki turned around and glared at her with displeasure.

"Go cook," Shimamoto Kana gently stroked her lower abdomen, "It's empty inside so I can come see you sooner."

"immediately!"

Tsukasa Tazaki raised his hand and blew her a kiss.

Kuriyama Sakura glanced at him, then looked at Shimamoto Kana's dignified face, thinking that the two must be exchanging some kind of secret signal.

“Kuriyama-san,” Shimamoto Kana took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her glasses, looking at her face more clearly, “you seem to have lost a lot of weight. How is life here?”

“I want to hear it too.” Shiori Ninomiya smiled and gently grasped Sakura Kuriyama’s wrist.

Infected by the Hokkaido girl's energy, Kuriyama Sakura couldn't help but smile and said softly, "Actually, there's nothing mysterious about it; it just refers to a very ordinary life."

While Tsukasa Tazaki was cooking, she briefly talked about her recent lifestyle.

Working in the fields, herding sheep, buying records and painting;

Tsukasa Tazaki has plenty of time to research new recipes every day, but because he doesn't have enough ingredients, he can only make some semi-finished products each time.

She also happily mentioned that Tsukasa Tazaki knew everyone in the sanatorium, from top to bottom. Every time the two of them went shopping in the shopping street, while she was browsing items alone, Tsukasa Tazaki, who was all alone, would be approached by various women. At these times, she would immediately put down what she was holding and come over, and those women would invariably end up feeling awkward and running away.

Recently, the two even watched a movie together and spent a long time cuddling in the theater.

"Kuriyama-kun is enjoying himself immensely," Shimamoto Kana commented, much like a teacher writing a report.

Kuriyama Sakura nodded.

Kana Shimamoto tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and asked, "Driving My Car? I'd like to see it too. Is it still showing in theaters?"

“You can watch it anytime,” Kuriyama Sakura said. “I’ll have Tazaki take you to see it this afternoon.”

She then talked about the content of "Driving My Car," saying that it wasn't actually very good, and rubbed her forehead with her index finger. "But after watching it, I always felt a tightness in my chest. Hey, it's best to avoid watching things with this kind of tone."

"Is it congested?" Shiori Ninomiya asked.

"correct."

"We need an excavator."

"An excavator?" Kuriyama Sakura asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, we need to throw an excavator into your heart,” Shiori Ninomiya said, poking her heart with her finger. “The excavator is clearing Sakura’s heart, bang bang bang…”

"Strange and bizarre metaphors!"

Kuriyama Sakura commented, then smiled rather nonchalantly.

“I feel like Sakura is about the same age as me,” Ninomiya Shiori said, resting her chin on her hand and tilting her head slightly, a naturally lively smile on her face. “She’s carefree and cheerful every day, just like a clueless housewife. She’s so silly!”

"Don't mimic me!" Kuriyama Sakura snapped.

Ninomiya Shiori spread her arms wide, remaining in that pose: "When we were making tea just now, Shiori-chan took a picture, you know. Sakura definitely doesn't want Yui to know, right?"

"……Clam?"

"Why don't you hurry up and hug Shiori-chan, then beg for mercy in a low voice?"

"No, Shiori, you..."

"Hehe, it's fine if she doesn't hug me. I'll go find my older brother later and ask her to..."

"Okay, okay, I'll hug you..." Kuriyama Sakura sighed helplessly, reached out and gently hugged the Hokkaido girl, whispering in her ear, "I'm sorry for making Shiori worry."

"Yes, I hope you get better soon."

Shiori Ninomiya sniffed, just about to say a few words of whispered conversation between girls.

As a result, an unusually soft touch came from her chest. She looked down and subconsciously said, "Did Sakura wear padding? This size doesn't seem real..."

Kuriyama Sakura's body stiffened.

hateful!

Tazaki is such a scumbag, just saying that is fine!

Why would Shiori say something like that even when she's with me?

"Hmm, haha..." Shimamoto Kana couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Realizing she had made a mistake, Ninomiya Shiori immediately put on a fawning smile, gently stroking Kuriyama Sakura's hair and comforting her, "Don't be discouraged, it's not time to give up yet, right?"

“I’ll say it again,” Kuriyama Sakura took a deep breath and emphasized each word clearly, “I don’t care about this. Whether it’s big or small doesn’t affect my mood or my beauty at all!”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Ninomiya Shiori said, whether unintentionally or deliberately teasing her, “If you and Yui were the same age, there wouldn’t be any ‘two number one beautiful girls’.”

Kuriyama Sakura's body stiffened again.

For some reason, at this moment, the Minister especially misses the adorable and silly little Deer-like baby.

"Alright, Shiori, stop joking about this," Kana Shimamoto reached out and patted the two girls on the shoulder. "I'm going to help Tazaki cook. You two little ones, don't fight."

"Don't worry, Shimamoto-sensei!"

Shiori Ninomiya nodded obediently.

As soon as she left, the Hokkaido girl put her arm around Kuriyama Sakura's shoulder and leaned over to ask, "Quickly tell Shiori-chan, has anything happened between Kiki and you these days?"

"What do you mean?" Kuriyama Sakura asked casually.

“Um, that one,” Shiori Ninomiya gritted her teeth and asked, “the final step for boyfriends and girlfriends!”

Kuriyama Sakura shook her head and looked at her as if she were peeking into the room through a window: "Why would you ask such a thing?"

"Is it yes or no?" Shiori Ninomiya pressed.

Kuriyama Sakura blushed slightly: "Not yet."

"How could that be? You two have such a good relationship." Shiori Ninomiya smiled slyly. "Do you think Kiki would just stand by and do nothing with a young and beautiful girl like Sakura?"

Kuriyama Sakura's face grew hotter as she recalled how Tazaki Tsukasa changed her clothes every morning.

"Don't ask about things like that."

"Oh, I won't ask anymore. I'm relieved to know it hasn't happened yet."

"What's there to be worried about?"

"Because there's someone else who's keeping Shiori chaste."

At this point, Shiori Ninomiya puffed out her cheeks and glared angrily at the kitchen.

"We are allies!"

Feeling the same way, Kuriyama Sakura hugged Ninomiya Shiori, and the two of them made a face at the kitchen together.

……