My love index is at its maximum.

He took out a piece of beef jerky and just as he was about to put it to her mouth, a sharp scream came from outside—it was a girl's voice.

"Kuriyama-san..."

Kana Shimamoto suddenly opened her eyes, got up, and grabbed an emergency light from the table. "Quick, let's go take a look together."

Tsukasa Tazaki grabbed a broom from the room and chased after him.

Rainwater seeped in from somewhere along the corridor leading to the restroom, flowing and pooling on the wooden planks overhead, making it wet and slippery to walk on.

My nose was filled with moisture, and it was pitch black all around. The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor.

"There's light ahead..." Shimamoto Kana exclaimed, pulling Tazaki Tsukasa along as they ran forward.

A flashlight lay quietly in the corridor; it was the one Kuriyama Sakura had just taken out. Shimamoto Kana bent down to pick it up, looked around, and saw no one in the darkness.

"Meow~!" A particularly mournful cat's cry came from somewhere out of sight.

In the silence, all sounds seemed to be amplified infinitely. The wind blew from the end of the corridor, brushing against their faces like an invisible hand.

tick.

A drop of water fell from the ceiling and slid into Tsukasa Tazaki's collar.

The broken window swayed in the wind, its creaking sound sending chills down their spines, and both of them involuntarily shivered.

The entire auditorium felt oppressive, like a ruin. In such an eerie environment, any normal person would feel uneasy and anxious.

Kana Shimamoto moved closer to Tsukasa Tazaki, wrapped her arms around his, and called out anxiously, "Kuriyama-kun, where are you?"

"Here...save me...don't come any closer..."

The girl's terrified voice came from a room to the left. Shimamoto Kana's heart tightened, and she grabbed Tazaki Tsukasa and ran forward.

Tazaki stopped her, took a deep breath: "Don't be impulsive. If things get worse, take Kuriyama and run."

"Hmm..." Shimamoto Kana nodded obediently, and the two walked to the door.

The door was open, and the inside was dark, with a strange, musty smell of dust and mold.

A sweep of the emergency light revealed a globe, a plastic human skeleton, barbells, and other similar items, suggesting it was a storage room.

Kana Shimamoto called out, "Kuriyama-san?"

"I'm here... Tazaki, come save me..."

The sound came from behind several high jump mats.

"Teacher...you stay here and wait for me!"

Leaving Shimamoto Kana behind, Tazaki Tsukasa picked up his broom and slowly walked over.

Turn the corner and look inside.

Kuriyama Sakura huddled in a corner of the room, her arms crossed, the flashlight on her phone still on. Her expression was terrified; her face was deathly pale, and her legs were trembling uncontrollably.

I looked around but didn't find anything unusual.

"Are you alright?" Tsukasa Tazaki breathed a sigh of relief and walked to her side.

Kuriyama Sakura immediately buried her face in his chest, and the girl's warm, trembling body pressed tightly against him.

"...What's wrong with you?"

“There…” She turned her head slightly and shone her phone light on the centipede, which was about two fingers wide and ten centimeters long, and it was stopped at their feet.

"..."

Tsukasa Tazaki smashed the centipede into a pulp.

Kuriyama Sakura slowly opened her tightly closed eyes, and the tension, fear, and anxiety that had covered her face like a thin film gradually dissipated.

“Let’s hurry up…” She grabbed Tsukasa’s arm and forced him to lead the way.

As she stepped off the mat, Kana Shimamoto rushed to greet her: "What happened?"

"It's nothing." Kuriyama Sakura shook off Tazaki Tsukasa as if she had been electrocuted, took a deep breath, and her chest heaved.

Kana Shimamoto looked at Tsukasa Tazaki with a puzzled expression.

"It's nothing, just a centipede." Tsukasa Tazaki shrugged. "I don't know why she was so scared."

Kuriyama Sakura's face turned cold, and she glared fiercely at Tazaki Tsukasa, but she didn't dare to leave in this terrible environment, so she could only suppress her resentment and stay by his side.

“It’s a centipede…” Shimamoto Kana stomped hard on Tazaki Tsukasa’s foot, patted her chest vigorously, and said in an exaggerated tone, “That thing is really scary.”

“Mmm…” Kuriyama Sakura nodded vigorously, “These arthropods are the scariest.”

Tsukasa Tazaki rolled his eyes.

Back in her room, Kuriyama Sakura clutched her arm, her brow furrowed deeply. Shimamoto Kana noticed a noticeable abrasion on her elbow.

"Did you fall?"

"Yeah, my foot slipped and I fell."

"Luckily, we have emergency medication on hand." Shimamoto Kana smiled and turned around, pulling out a medicine box from the table by the door.

Tazaki Tsukasa found it strange. This woman... why did she seem so happy when Kuriyama Sakura was injured?

"Tazaki-san... I'm leaving it to you." Shimamoto Kana tossed the first-aid kit into his hands.

"...Men and women should not touch each other."

"Shut up!"

“I can do it myself,” Kuriyama Sakura said from the side.

“You can’t handle that position yourself,” Shimamoto Kana said to her, then pulled Tazaki Tsukasa aside to whisper to her.

“Tazaki-san, listen to me. A person’s subconscious reaction in a state of panic best reveals their inner self. Just now, I was the one who called out to Kuriyama-san, but she cried out, ‘Tazaki, come save me!’ What does that mean? It means that when Kuriyama-san is in danger, you are the first person she thinks of.”

"That's because she knows I'm a better fighter."

"Don't interrupt... I haven't finished yet." Shimamoto Kana pinched his ear before continuing, "With her aloof personality, even if she cares about someone, she wouldn't say it herself. You need to take the initiative and lower your stance a little..."

"Okay, okay... I'll do it!"

Tazaki Tsukasa couldn't stand her endless sales pitch any longer, so he grabbed the medicine box and went to Kuriyama Sakura's side.

"Let's disinfect it first." He shook the rubbing alcohol in his hand.

After a slight hesitation, Kuriyama Sakura nodded. After sitting down, she rolled up her shirt sleeves, revealing a scrape on her right elbow.

"You two talk, I'll go check next door." Shimamoto Kana smiled and gave Tazaki Tsukasa a meaningful look before pushing open the door and leaving.

Tsukasa Tazaki opened the bottle of alcohol and dipped a cotton swab in it.

Kuriyama Sakura raised her right hand, her facial expression fluctuating unnaturally.

"Were you scared just now? Hmm..." Tsukasa Tazaki twirled the cotton swab as he wiped the wound on her arm. "I was quite worried too."

"I'm... a little scared." Kuriyama Sakura frowned, her pretty face covered in fine beads of sweat from the pain.

"You called out 'Tazaki, come save me!' as if it were the most natural thing in the world." Tsukasa Tazaki threw away the dirty cotton swab in his hand, replaced it with another, and continued cleaning the wound.

Kuriyama Sakura replied indifferently, "As your department head, don't I have the right to order you around?"

"My dear minister, I'm going to bandage your wound now." Tsukasa Tazaki covered her wound with gauze and then secured it with medical tape.

He even pressed it down hard on purpose.

"Ouch..." Kuriyama Sakura hissed in pain and glared at him angrily: "Give me the disinfectant and cotton swabs."

"It's already been taken care of?"

"There are other injuries as well." Kuriyama Sakura turned her face away, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Where is it? Let me take care of it for you." Tazaki Tsukasa shook the disinfectant, his tone helpless: "Otherwise, Shimamoto-sensei will drive me crazy."

Kuriyama Sakura reached out to grab the disinfectant, but grasped at nothing.

"Damn it!" she cursed coldly, then rubbed her eyes as if she had a headache, and slowly reached for the edge of her stockings.

While Tazaki Tsukasa was wondering if it was a knee injury, Kuriyama Sakura held the top of her sock with her fingers and slowly pulled the whole sock off.

Chapter 67 As everyone knows, stories always happen on stormy nights (4)

They took off their black stockings and threw them onto a blanket, next to their backpacks and Kana Shimamoto's well-made suit jacket.

The girl's shapely, smooth legs were exposed to the air without any concealment.

Her legs were long and graceful, bathed in a soft, pinkish glow from the chandelier. Her skin was fair and delicate, and upon closer inspection, one could faintly see the bluish veins beneath. Her five dainty toes were slightly curled, strung together like pearls.

Tsukasa Tazaki felt a pang of emotion.

Although Kuriyama's chest is a bit small, her legs are absolutely gorgeous.

Moreover, her slender figure without excess fat is quite beautiful. Her petite chin and cherry-colored lips show her good manners and proud personality, while the subtle changes in her facial expressions reveal her inherent aloofness.

Have you seen enough?

While staring intently at someone's legs, Tsukasa Tazaki's cold gaze made him laugh awkwardly.

"As a leg fetishist, it's instinctive for me to look at legs first."

Kuriyama Sakura raised an eyebrow, asking with interest, "Besides my legs, what else about me attracts you?"

Tsukasa Tazaki answered simply, "No!"

Even if there were more, he wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal them in this situation, otherwise she would definitely lead him by the nose and ask him a bunch of nonsensical questions.

"Isn't the school uniform I'm wearing a uniform?" Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful. "I remember you said you also liked uniforms and stockings."

Tsukasa Tazaki waved his hand, "It's been so long, I've forgotten."

"It seems you need to eat more fish."

"what?"

"The EPA in fish can activate the nerve cells that are experiencing memory decline, keeping your brain in good condition."

"Stop! Let's end this conversation!"

Kuriyama Sakura smiled with satisfaction and lifted her foot: "Hurry up."

The wound was on the heel, a two-centimeter-long gash, oozing blood.