My love index is at its maximum.

She was still wearing her neat school uniform, her jacket without a single wrinkle, and white stockings that encased her long, beautiful legs.

"Xiaowei, hello... come save me!" Tazaki Tsukasa pleaded with his older brother for help.

Kurisu looked at her daughter with a smile.

However, his hand did not loosen at all, and he continued to grip Tsukasa Tazaki's waist.

"You look so happy," Yui Kikawa said coldly, looking at the scumbag. "Looks like I've come at the wrong time, Tazaki-san!"

"No, you've misunderstood!" Tsukasa Tazaki cried out.

"Isn't Xiao Si happy?" Qi Chuan Li bent down, pressed her face against his, and looked at him with a wronged expression. "Your aunt is giving you a massage, and you're saying you're not happy?"

"I am incredibly happy."

Tazaki Tsukasa yelled, almost crying from the pain.

Outside the window, flocks of crows flew across the sky, and the sun was slowly forming an arc as it sank below the coastline of Tokyo Bay.

The maid brought over dinner, and after the three of them ate together, Yui Kawakawa went home, while Tsukasa Tazaki and Kuri Kawakawa stayed behind.

Around 7 p.m., the attending physician came in, changed the IV drip for the head of the Kichikawa family, and then exchanged a few words with Kichikawa Kuri as if exchanging secret signals before leaving the ward.

Between 7 and 9 o'clock, members of the Arisugawa family kept coming in to visit the sick.

These people would sit by the hospital bed with worried expressions, then say a few words of loyalty to Kurisu Kirikawa, then chat with Tsukasa Tazaki about everyday things, and so on until 11 p.m. before finally quieting down.

At 11:30, after the attending physician came to make his rounds, he pulled Kurisu Kawakawa into the corridor to talk.

Tsukasa Tazaki was alone in the hospital room.

On the bed, the head of the Qichuan family lay supine, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, his body motionless, not even breathing. If it weren't for the occasional blinking, he would be no different from dead.

Perhaps he has already lost consciousness.

Tazaki Tsukasa wanted to say something to him, but no matter what she did, she didn't know how to start. In the end, she simply sat in the chair in a daze without saying a word.

Soft light filled the entire ward, and fresh peach blossoms in a vase on the bedside table told people that it was springtime.

"Ah~"

Tsukasa Tazaki yawned.

I wanted to read some books and newspapers, but there were no books or magazines in the ward, only a calendar hanging on the wall.

"Ya ya..."

On the sickbed, the head of the Qichuan family suddenly turned his face and stared intently at him.

"How are you feeling?" Tsukasa Tazaki walked over and asked gently, "Do you need me to call a doctor?"

He shook his head in great pain, and slowly moved his lips as if he wanted to say something.

“I’m listening, please speak.” Tsukasa Tazaki leaned closer to listen.

“Rin…”

The sound was so faint that it felt like the effort of expelling air from the lungs.

"Rin?" Tsukasa Tazaki looked up at his face.

A tear rolled down the old man's cheek, shimmering faintly in the fluorescent light.

He must have used up all the emotions and strength he had left. With a few indistinct "Rin" sounds, tears streamed down his cheeks and landed on the sheets, forming a straight line on the electrocardiogram monitor screen next to him.

Tazaki Tsukasa took a deep breath, went to the window, and opened it a crack to let in some fresh air.

The windows here face the sea, offering a panoramic view of the beautiful Tokyo Bay nightscape and the illuminated bridge. The distant horns of large cruise ships seem to travel through several layers of soundproofing.

Time passed slowly, and he raised his hand to check his watch.

More than thirty minutes have passed since Kurisu left home. Why did it take so long? I'll punish her properly when she gets back.

Just as I was lost in thought, the door to the ward opened, and I heard footsteps behind me.

Tsukasa Tazaki turned around and looked back.

A gloomy expression was clearly visible on Kurisu Kirikawa's beautiful face.

Seeing her like this, Tsukasa Tazaki had no choice but to keep all the punishments he wanted to give her to himself.

Why are you so late?

"Sorry, I'm a little hungry." Kurisu Kawakami placed the large paper bag she was carrying on the table. "I just had someone buy some late-night snacks. Do you want some?"

"Ok."

Tsukasa Tazaki returned to the sofa, and the two began to eat.

The portions of food were small, but there was a wide variety of dishes, each served in a small dish, and the total amount was quite considerable.

During the meal, the two of them tacitly avoided looking at the elderly man in the hospital bed, as if he didn't exist there.

The window at night became a dim mirror, reflecting the person sitting at the table. Kurisu gazed at her reflection in the glass with a dreamy and ethereal look, her expression somewhat tired.

"Is something on your mind, Auntie?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked, glancing at her as he devoured an abalone.

"No, I'm just a little tired," said Kurisu Kawakami, rubbing her eyes.

Tazaki Tsukasa picked up another piece of abalone from his bowl: "Here, this is for Auntie."

Kurisu glanced at him, twitched slightly, and said, "Go and draw the curtains."

"Okay." Although Tsukasa Tazaki didn't know what she was going to do, he did as she was told.

As the curtains were drawn, the ward suddenly went dark.

Kurisu Kuri pounced on her from behind, and the two of them fell to the floor as if falling from the sky. In the darkness, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and salty tears welled up in her eyes.

Tazaki gently touched the corner of her eye with his fingertip: "Are you feeling reluctant or something?"

“That’s not true…” Kurisu muttered, her trembling eyelashes slowly calming down. “It’s just that the thought that from today onwards, I’ve become the murderer of Grandpa Tsukasa makes me feel inexplicably sad and painful.”

"You didn't hesitate for a second when I asked the doctor to change the dressing..." Tsukasa Tazaki complained irritably.

"Hey, do you even know how to comfort people?!" Kurisu looked down at him, pinching his face hard with both hands as if venting her anger.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, making her beautiful face faintly visible.

Compared to her daughter's strikingly beautiful features, hers are more traditionally petite and delicate, typical of Japanese women. With her noble air, her face appears both elegant and unapproachable.

But at this moment, this woman, who could arouse all men's curiosity, had an expression that sometimes seemed to be crying, sometimes smiling, and sometimes seemingly in great pain; she was truly ever-changing and endlessly charming.

In order to enjoy that charming and alluring expression a little longer, Tsukasa Tazaki put all his energy into matching her rhythm and tried his best to put on the obedient expression of being scolded by an elder.

"You'd better be there on time for the funeral the day after tomorrow!"

"Ok."

"After the funeral, you will be the first heir of the Qichuan family. You'd better work hard!"

"Ok."

"When you grow up, your aunt will consider letting you take over the Qichuan family."

"Isn't this just making empty promises?"

"Shut up!" Kurisu glared at him, then whispered in his ear, "I'm the enemy who killed your grandfather, do you think you'd be content to be controlled by me?"

"Well……"

Think for a moment.

Tsukasa Tazaki answered honestly, "Maybe not, but one day I'll be riding on my aunt's head."

"So, Auntie might as well prepare an extra way out for herself in advance." Kurisu looked completely satisfied and stood up with a happy expression. "Instead of waiting for you to grow up and kick us mother and daughter out of the house, it's better to stick with us now and make you one of our own."

Tsukasa Tazaki was still lying on the ground: "We're on the same side now..."

"Not yet," Kurisu turned on the light, leaned against the wall, and gave him a sweet smile. "After all, you and Yui aren't getting a marriage certificate, so your aunt needs to add an extra layer of insurance."

The room was lit again, and Tsukasa Tazaki got up, making a menacing face at Kurisu Kawakami.

"Haha..." Kurisu chuckled lazily, adding to her captivating charm, her voluptuous body trembling with laughter.

……

The following morning, the funeral of the head of the Sikawa family was held in a Catholic church in Chiyoda.

Due to the restrictions imposed by Kurisu Kawakami, few people attended, making it a somber funeral. Beside the coffin placed directly in front, there was a vase filled with white roses. Whether the bouquet was insufficient or the vase was too large, it looked sparse and cold.

It rained from midnight until morning, and then it started raining heavily again as soon as the funeral ceremony began. The sound of water splashing could be heard constantly from outside the thin door of the church.

The portrait on the coffin depicted a solemn and dignified old man.

Tsukasa Tazaki watched for a long time, but he just couldn't connect him with the man who called out for his daughter before he died. So he simply kept his head down the whole time and listened to the tall, thin priest half-reading the Bible.

It was time to offer flowers.

He was the first to stand up, took a white rose from the clergy, and placed it on the coffin.

Next up were Kurisu and her daughter Yui Kurisu. After presenting the flowers, they stood silently behind Tsukasa Tazaki, looking as if they regarded him as their pillar of support.

After that, there were all sorts of relatives.

Some of them Tsukasa Tazaki had seen, and some he hadn't.

One father and son, who looked very unfamiliar to each other, offered flowers and then went to the coffin to pay their respects to the deceased. The father burst into tears and his body seemed to collapse as he slid down. The son quickly picked him up and carried him away.

The booming thunder and the patter of rain quickly drowned out the crying.

After the ceremony finally ended, Tsukasa Tazaki stretched and yawned boredly, "Let's go back."

"There's another match after you get home."

Kurisu reached out and gently stroked his hair.

At this moment, her demeanor and actions clearly showed that she regarded herself as a true elder.

“I say, Auntie,” Tsukasa Tazaki said, looking at her with amusement, “why don’t you consider adopting me into your family and making me your son?”

"Um……"

Kurisu nodded quite seriously.

The next second, she patted Qichuan Wei on the back and urged, "What are you standing there for, Wei? Hurry up and call me brother!"

Qichuan Wei rolled her eyes at the two of them, then took her mother's hand and walked towards the church entrance.