My love index is at its maximum.

Hmm...huh?

Hoshino Hanami blinked, her dark eyes darting around.

who am I?

where am I?

What was I supposed to do again?

A breeze blew across the lake, sometimes agitated, sometimes gentle. The teacher and student stood under the swaying shade of the trees, while the drifting clouds, like quicksand, flowed slowly across the blue sky.

"Teacher, I have something to tell you." Tsukasa Tazaki looked up, gazing into her clear eyes, and smoothed her bangs: "Yesterday when I was on the Chuo Line train... someone probably thought I wasn't feeling well and wanted to give me their seat, but I said no, I was just waiting for someone."

"Waiting for whom...?" Hoshino Hanami asked subconsciously. As soon as the words left her mouth, she came to her senses and realized that Tazaki Tsukasa's other hand was still around her waist. Her body began to tremble slightly.

Tazaki Tsukasa countered, "Who else could it be?"

A warm feeling gradually seeped into her heart. Hoshino Hanami tilted her head slightly, analyzing in her mind what kind of feeling it was. The early summer sunlight shone on her profile, making her smooth and delicate, like a daffodil under the morning dew.

"I love you so much, teacher, so please love me too," Tsukasa Tazaki said earnestly and passionately.

Feeling the scorching heat emanating from his nose, Hoshino Hanami felt her body become extremely hot, and her heart pounded.

"How do you like me?" she asked with some difficulty, trying to cover her increasingly rapid heartbeat with her voice, praying that he wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Tsukasa Tazaki buried his face in her neck and whispered, "I like you as much as I like seeing a penguin in Tokyo Bay."

"How come there are penguins in Tokyo Bay?"

"Yeah, how come there are penguins in Tokyo Bay? So you went up to them and asked, 'Penguin, penguin, why are you in Tokyo Bay?' Guess what the penguins said?"

Hoshino Hanami temporarily forgot her body's unnatural reaction and stared curiously at his head buried in her neck: "What did the penguin say?"

"The penguin said that the Antarctic ice sheet was melting too fast, and it lost its home, so it swam and swam until it reached Tokyo Bay. Also, it decided not to leave and to stay here to make its home."

“How could that be…” Hoshino Hanami shook her head vigorously. “Tokyo Bay is much hotter than Antarctica.”

"Yes, so the penguin asked you, 'Would you like to work with me to change the climate of Tokyo Bay?'"

"I……"

"You wouldn't answer, so the penguin asked again, 'Beautiful lady, would you be willing to do something as absurd as manipulating the climate with a penguin?'"

There was no response; all that could be heard was her soft breathing.

Tazaki Tsukasa looked up and met her gaze. She didn't say anything, but just smiled awkwardly, with a mixture of expectation and a little bit of bewilderment.

Chapter 76 I'm about to be conquered by a fifteen-year-old brat!

"Teacher, I like you."

"Hmm~"

I will always love you.

Hoshino Hanami still couldn't speak; her face was slowly turning red, and her fair neck was also beginning to flush. She quietly clenched her fists, but her body and mind were trembling slightly, and she couldn't bring herself to throw a punch.

She lacked both the strength and the will to throw a punch.

The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the trees, casting beams of light everywhere, while the morning mist flowed around them like a river.

Tazaki Tsukasa boldly leaned forward, his forehead touching hers: "Teacher, don't you want to talk to me?"

Hmm... It's only at times like this that I realize she's a bit taller than me in her high heels, so I have to stand on my tiptoes to avoid the awkward situation where my forehead only touches her eyes.

"not me……"

Hoshino Hanami was completely unable to adapt to the intimate act of breathing each other's exhaled fumes. Her mouth was open, wanting to speak, but her mind was dizzy, and she had no idea what was going on.

If it weren't for a pair of hands tightly holding her waist, she might have collapsed to the ground because her legs were too weak.

"What does the teacher want to say?" Tsukasa Tazaki felt her soft, warm body, showing no intention of letting go.

“I’m not used to it… I never thought about these things before.”

"Yeah, I didn't before either, but I've been thinking about it ever since Sakura's family came back."

A gentle smile graced his clean and elegant handsome face, and a pair of dark eyes stared unabashedly into hers. Hoshino Hanami opened her mouth, revealing glimpses of her white teeth and pink tongue.

After hesitating for a moment, she said with some shame and annoyance, "I shouldn't have let the wolf into the house..."

"It's too late... Teacher." Tazaki Tsukasa suppressed the urge to kiss her lips and said softly, "Can you hold me?"

"Eh?"

Hold me like you are in my arms.

"I...haven't tried it."

"Reach out, go behind me, and put your hand on my back."

"I really can't do anything with you..." Hoshino Hanami seemed to have given up struggling, and the tense expression on her beautiful face gradually melted away, turning into a helpless smile.

It looks like a blooming flower.

Looking at her hair illuminated by the light, Tsukasa Tazaki once again exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Teacher is really so charming."

"Let's make this clear first." Hoshino Hanami gently tapped his forehead, her tone affectionate: "I won't agree so quickly."

After gradually adapting to the current situation, her expression returned to its usual naturalness, and she said in a relaxed tone, "Teacher has been single for over twenty years. Wouldn't it be too hasty to start a relationship right away? So, you little brat, don't expect to fall for me so easily. I want to enjoy being pursued and observe you for a year or two before making any decisions."

"I'm very confident..." Tsukasa Tazaki smiled confidently and urged, "Can you hug me now?"

A pure smile slowly bloomed on Hoshino Hanami's face, her eyes staring straight into his, warm like sunlight falling into his heart.

"I really want to punch you a couple more times," she said defiantly, slowly reaching out her hands to wrap her arms around the waist of a man for the first time.

This action brought Tazaki Tsukasa an immense sense of fulfillment. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I love you so much..."

A tingling, numbing sensation surged up from her tailbone, gradually spreading down her spine throughout her body. Hoshino Hanami shuddered as if she'd been electrocuted, then immediately buried her face in his chest, snuggling closer.

"Me too... a little."

She squeezed her eyes shut, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her breathing became increasingly rapid.

I'm a little unaccustomed to this feeling, but I'm trying to accept it and prepare myself for it to become the norm.

[Oh no, I'm about to be won over by a brat! Hoshino Hanami Stock Index rose 150 points, current stock price: 300]

“Eh, Tazaki…”

"how?"

Am I really that attractive to you?

"Of course, your legs are so beautiful."

"Only legs?"

"It's definitely more than that. The way you speak, the way you eat, the clothes you wear, your voice, your expressions—every element in this world related to you has grown into the way I like."

"Your mouth... I wonder how many women have been fooled by it..."

Halfway through her sentence, Hoshino Hanami suddenly raised her head, her narrowed eyes radiating a chillingly dangerous aura.

Feeling as if he were being stared at by a tigress, Tsukasa Tazaki shuddered. Before he could escape, a piercing pain shot through the tender flesh of his waist.

"Ouch...it hurts! Let go, someone's going to die..."

"Tell me honestly, what's the deal with Shiori Ninomiya?"

"Nothing's wrong!"

"What's with that photo?" Hoshino Hanami loosened her grip with some suspicion, but she didn't let him off the hook. She gently lifted her high heel, the sharp heel striking Tazaki Tsukasa's shoe, as if she were about to poke a bloody hole in it at the slightest provocation.

Several large-billed crows flew in from a distance and landed on a cedar tree not far away, cawing loudly. Their unbridled mockery was truly infuriating.

For his own safety, Tsukasa Tazaki had no choice but to release her alluring body and raise his hands as if to prove his innocence, saying, "I have never liked any high school girl, nor have I ever had anything with them that went beyond friendship!"

Hoshino Hanami crossed her arms and stared at him with a look that seemed to be pondering some complex question.

The crows' mocking cries grew louder.

Tazaki Tsukasa felt his throat was a little dry and couldn't help but want to drink water.

After a moment, Hoshino Hanami nodded, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips: "Let's put aside Ninomiya-san's problem for now, but you must give me a reasonable explanation for what happened last night. Otherwise..."

“That was me practicing my cooking skills.” Tsukasa Tazaki took a step back and pulled a lunchbox out of his bag. “I was practicing my cooking skills all night, and I sent the photos so you could give me your feedback.”

"convenient?"

The moment Hoshino Hanami saw the bento box, her stomach started growling.

She was hungry before going to bed last night, and was still angry when she woke up this morning, so she didn't have time to eat anything. Now that she sees food, the single hair on her head instantly sticks up.

"Give it to me quickly."

She eagerly reached out and snatched it, then hurriedly returned to the pavilion.

The small bento box contained two mushy seaweed and pork floss rice balls, a limp omelet, and an unidentified item that looked like fried chicken nuggets. The only thing that looked decent was a small portion of macaroni.

It's obvious it doesn't taste good... Hoshino Hanami reluctantly picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of omelet, and put it in her mouth.

With a "click," my teeth bit into something foreign.

There were eggshells in the omelet! Just how bad is this person's cooking?

Hoshino Hanami sighed, looking very troubled.

"Ah, sorry." Tsukasa Tazaki scratched his cheek awkwardly, looking down as he said, "I practiced too late last night, and then I got up very early this morning to prepare the bento boxes. I was really sleepy, so I wasn't paying attention while beating the eggs..."

His face grew increasingly ashamed, and his voice was filled with self-reproach.

Hoshino Hanami picked up a rice ball and, while chewing, sketched a scene in her mind—as dawn broke and most people were still asleep, a boy was fighting off sleepiness and bustling about in the cramped kitchen, all to prepare breakfast for his beloved.

Thinking about it this way, the originally terrible taste suddenly seems incredibly delicious.

"Hey, have some too."

She picked up another rice ball and fed it to Tsukasa Tazaki.

A gentle breeze rippled the lake behind her, reflecting the morning light. Gazing at the handsome face of Tazaki Tsukasa, Hoshino Hanami smiled, hiding her face behind her lid, a faint sweetness welling up inside her.

Chapter 77: Playful sweet nothings are only said to you.