My love index is at its maximum.

"What an honest child."

Kana Shimamoto offered a compliment.

Her bright red face, far from being angry, was instead filled with a smile, showing both joy and vitality.

Shiori Ninomiya, as if seeking credit, spoke first: "I was right, wasn't I!"

"How did Shiori refute my claim?" Shimamoto Kana asked.

"Oh, Shiori firmly refuted Sakura's statement at the time, and Shimamoto-sensei is..."

Kuriyama Sakura blurted out, "Shimamoto-sensei is a slit-mouthed woman!"

"The Slit-Mouthed Woman?" Shimamoto Kana was taken aback.

"Ah, no, no, I didn't mean any harm..." Shiori Ninomiya had anticipated this and spoke up to defend herself, "The Slit-Mouthed Woman is very cute, I've seen quite a few doujinshi of hers, if you don't believe me, Shimamoto-sensei, I can find them for you!"

"Alright, no need to explain, I believe you." Shimamoto Kana took her arm with unusual leniency. "However, tutoring is unavoidable. Don't expect to have any time to play today or tomorrow!"

"Kiki, save me..."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you!" Tsukasa Tazaki waved his hand at her and smiled reassuringly. "Besides, I strongly agree with letting Shimamoto-sensei educate you. Otherwise, if you continue to be so cunning, you might start to ride roughshod over me one day."

"Hehehe~"

Shiori Ninomiya stuck her tongue out at him.

That youthful, vibrant face was just like a mischievous elf from a Shakespearean myth, lively and full of life.

"Oh, right, we can't forget Sakura!"

The Hokkaido girl, being dragged along, still managed to grab Kuriyama Sakura's arm with one hand. Thinking that having someone share her misfortune would lessen her pain, she shouted loudly, "Sakura hasn't been to school for months, she needs to catch up on her studies too!"

A helpless smile appeared on Kuriyama Sakura's lips.

"Come on, let the teacher teach you just how valuable the title 'Mrs. Tazaki' really is!"

With a cute little one in her left hand and a little Sakura in her right, Kana Shimamoto smiled very proudly.

so?

What kind of teaching methods can be used to make them feel the value of 'Mrs. Tazaki'?

Tsukasa Tazaki was very curious.

Unfortunately, he couldn't witness the teaching process, since he was just a henpecked husband with no standing in the family.

……

By the time lunch was ready, the light drizzle had stopped, and a faint light shone in through the left-hand window.

Tsukasa Tazaki brought out the food, rested his chin on his left hand, and looked up at the second floor.

Before long, the three of them came down the stairs one after another, looking completely relaxed and natural.

"What did you do?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked impatiently.

"You don't need to know!" Kuriyama Sakura, who had changed into her home clothes, gripped her cuffs and sat down at the table furthest away from him.

"Sweetie, I've been rejected." Tazaki Tsukasa pointed at her with a hurt expression of accepting abandonment, then reached out and grabbed Ninomiya Shiori's wrist. "Don't let her corrupt you, or who will I complain to?"

"Yes, Shiori will never abandon Kiki!"

With that, Shiori Ninomiya shook off his hand and plopped down next to Sakura Kuriyama.

"Mrs……"

Tsukasa Tazaki placed his last hope on Kana Shimamoto.

Shimamoto Kana glanced at him with amusement, but didn't say anything. She simply sat down next to him in a very natural and confident manner, clearly determined to carry out the "mistress of the house" act to the fullest.

"I'm starting to eat!"

After a brief pre-meal ceremony, the four began to enjoy a simple lunch.

Kuriyama Sakura picked up a piece of bright green broccoli and put it into her cherry blossom-colored mouth, chewing it gently. Tazaki Tsukasa was right in front of her, but she felt angry when she thought about her two failed attempts at social interaction today, so she deliberately didn't look at him and kept her gaze fixed on the window.

February with northeasterly winds

The white curtains swayed back and forth, and her beautiful long black hair also swayed.

"Hey, Sakura, have a piece of meat." Ninomiya Shiori said, taking a lemonade candy out of her pocket and tossing it onto her spoon. "Kiki, the meat is super delicious today, try some."

With her gaze tilted to the side, Kuriyama Sakura didn't notice what was in the spoon at all and put it directly into her mouth.

The next second, her delicate little face scrunched up from the soreness.

“Tsk tsk,” Shiori Ninomiya sighed, shaking her head. “It’s all over. The fairy-like Sakura from before is gone forever.”

“That’s a good thing,” Shimamoto Kana said with a smile, handing a water glass to Kuriyama Sakura. “Kuriyama-kun used to seem aloof and cold, not nearly as cute as she is now, right?”

She asked Tsukasa Tazaki the question, "Right?"

"Well, how should I put it," Tsukasa Tazaki said, glancing at Sakura Kuriyama while shoveling rice into his mouth, "both department heads are adorable to me, equally so."

"You're avoiding the important issues!" Kuriyama Sakura glared at him, then gulped down water.

"Drink slowly," Tsukasa Tazaki advised, then looked at Shiori Ninomiya, "and you too, just eat properly, don't make so many fidgeting movements..."

Ok?

My foot felt like it had touched something soft.

Small, soft, cool... those are the tiny feet of a young girl.

Under Tsukasa Tazaki's perception, those little feet lazily climbed onto his feet, intertwining and clinging to each other.

That's great!

Can……

I'm eating now.

If the other two people find out, they'll inevitably face another chaotic situation.

Tazaki Tsukasa had no choice but to push his foot outwards, then looked at the culprit.

It's obvious without even guessing that the person who would do something like this must be some country girl from Hokkaido.

Shiori Ninomiya's small face, brimming with boundless energy, tilted slightly as she looked back at him with feigned confusion.

As soon as their eyes met, a smile appeared on her lips, and she mouthed the words "Kiki, you're so naughty."

His natural expression was inexplicably moving, and Tsukasa Tazaki was convinced that no matter how much time passed, he would relive that smile in some dream.

"Go ahead and play if you want..." With this indulgent thought, Tsukasa Tazaki stretched out his foot and hooked it under the little cutie's stool.

Soon, his toes touched the girl's smooth little feet. His heart stirred slightly, so he raised his foot and covered the cute girl's instep with the sole of his foot, gently rubbing it back and forth.

I felt that this wasn't quite enough.

Tazaki simply stretched out his other leg as well, sandwiching one of her legs between his two.

Before he started, he didn't forget to look up at the little cutie, wink, and send the signal 'I'm coming!'

But strangely enough... Shiori Ninomiya was smiling and discussing the afternoon and tomorrow's schedule with Kana Shimamoto, which didn't seem like she was flirting with him under the table at all.

Tsukasa Tazaki strangely clamped that foot between his legs and squeezed it hard.

"……Um!"

Beside her, Kuriyama Sakura, with her head bowed, suddenly trembled and let out a very low groan.

Chapter 364 A Rainy Afternoon

The rain intensified during lunchtime.

The torrential rain pounded against the window, the pattering sound enveloping the entire world. Staff members ran past the window with small yellow umbrellas, while the vending machine stood alone.

Tsukasa Tazaki is washing dishes in the kitchen.

Kana Shimamoto stood beside him, dried the dishes he had washed with a towel, and put them away in the cupboard.

Recalling the scene of eating together around the table, she said with emotion, "It tastes better when there are more people eating together."

"It's lively and bustling," Tsukasa Tazaki nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, he couldn't help but mutter to himself that flirting with feet under the table is even more exciting when there are many people around.

Kana Shimamoto was in a good mood, humming a song softly as she wiped the dishes.

We women

Let the owl

Tadpoles and flowers

Together with love

Occupy our hearts

This is a waka poem sung by Fumiko Nakajo, who died young at the age of thirty-six.

"Madam, there's no need to be so obvious with your hints." Tsukasa Tazaki picked up a rag to wipe his hands, preparing to get to work.

"What did you imply?" Shimamoto Kana blinked, feigning confusion. "Madam just felt that this song perfectly expressed the charm of us women, so she couldn't help but sing it."

"Hmm, no hints. The dignified and virtuous Mrs. Shimamoto would never be so lewd."

As he spoke, Tsukasa Tazaki naturally embraced Kana Shimamoto and turned her head toward him.

Kana Shimamoto had been looking forward to this moment, so she leaned against his chest and couldn't wait to kiss him.

In the kitchen shrouded in the sound of rain, the rustling of clothes being peeled off could be faintly heard. After a long kiss, Shimamoto Kana gathered her hair, took off her coat, and walked to the door in only her underwear to look outside.

After confirming that the two little ones had gone upstairs, she closed the door behind her.

Next up was some time for just the two of them.

After the outside heating was shut off, the kitchen temperature dropped immediately, a stark contrast to the warmth it had just been.

Kana Shimamoto hunched her shoulders and said, "It's so cold..."

"It won't be cold in a bit." Tsukasa Tazaki turned around and took a half-empty bottle of brandy from the refrigerator.

Kana Shimamoto sat on the dressing table and slowly took off the remaining clothes that were in the way.