My love index is at its maximum.

"Me too." Hoshino Hanami lay back down on the sofa, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents as she stared at the ceiling.

After a while, she added, "Remember to add lemon juice and sugar to my cup. Oh, and I just saw some strawberry daifuku in the fridge, could you get it for me?"

Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her temples and took out a rag to clean up the breadcrumbs next to the oven.

The water boiled, and there was no wind outside. The steam and strong sunlight made the room a bit stuffy, and several cicadas started chirping outside the window.

Wait 30 seconds, then pour water into the mug containing the tea bag. The tea leaves absorb the hot water, the thearubigins gradually disperse, and a warm aroma wafts up with the steam.

Kuriyama Sakura took a lemon juice from the refrigerator and casually asked the sofa, "How did you get won over so quickly?"

"There's nothing I can do, the way he talks is just too funny." Hoshino Hanami covered her face with her hands, her body trembling slightly.

"interesting……?"

"It's really interesting."

“I don’t find anything interesting about that expressionless face…” Kuriyama Sakura shook her head, turned around and added lemon juice to two cups of black tea, then took out sugar and added it to only one of the cups.

"Of course you don't know."

Hoshino Hanami looked up, her eyes gleaming with smugness: "He only tells me interesting things."

"..."

I could tell from her eyes that she was just a bored woman showing off her boyfriend to her best friend.

Kuriyama Sakura carried two cups of tea back. The female teacher in black stockings on the sofa sat up straight, casually brushing aside the fine hairs that clung to her cheek. Her movements were light and graceful, carrying a gentle charm like a spring afternoon.

What a nice view……

The most beautiful girl glanced away, her heart pounding.

She placed the cat-patterned mug on the table, then turned and took a tray of strawberry daifuku from the refrigerator. The frozen strawberry daifuku was especially delicious; Kuriyama Sakura only ate one piece, and the remaining five disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Meow~!

A cat meowed outside the window, and Kuriyama Sakura got up, opened the door, and let the fat cat in.

Hoshino Hanami clapped her hands: "Sardine, come here quickly."

The fat cat looked up, then jumped onto her lap in a few quick movements and lay there obediently.

The black tea in the cup gradually decreased, and the setting sun shone on the glass wall of the school building, shattering it into pieces of golden mirror.

“Actually…” Kuriyama Sakura put down her cup and said, “I think he is the most suitable candidate.”

On the cat's head on the mug, there is a faint lip print of hers.

"Oh, even Sakura approves of him like that?" Hoshino Hanami looked up in surprise, her snow-white chin curving charmingly.

"It's alright..." Kuriyama Sakura shrugged indifferently. "As a friend, I feel I need to remind you of something."

"what?"

"Takashi Tazaki's ideal romantic partner is a gentle and intellectual older sister."

Hoshino Hana paused for a moment while petting the cat, and "Sardine" meowed. She picked up the cat and put it on the sofa: "It's okay, I have enough confidence in myself."

Kuriyama Sakura's mind conjured up the image of Shimamoto Kana, and she couldn't help but smile wryly, "You'd better be careful..."

"Alright, alright, don't worry about me." Hoshino Hanami glanced at the clock on the wall and waved her hand. "I'm leaving now. It would be hard to explain if he ran into me later."

Kuriyama Sakura was filled with a desire to make sarcastic remarks.

"Oh, right." Hoshino Hanami said to her while tiptoeing to find her high heels, "Remember not to tell him about the request. I want to give him a surprise."

He already knew everything... Kuriyama Sakura nodded: "No problem."

"Goodbye then, come visit me sometime."

Hoshino Hanami patted her head affectionately, as if she were treating a younger sister, before turning and leaving.

As the activity room door opened and closed, dust particles stirred up by the airflow drifted slowly through the air.

Kuriyama Sakura returned to her seat by the window, resting her chin on her hand and gazing out. "Sardine" followed her, meowing a few times, but seeing that she wasn't in the mood to respond, the fat cat obediently lay down on her white flats and took a nap.

The evening sun shone on my face, and the cicadas in the courtyard chirped incessantly as if wound up, which was quite annoying.

"Dong dong..."

There was a knock at the door, and she turned around and said, "Come in."

Hoshino Shikami pushed open the door and entered.

Kuriyama Sakura had a vague feeling that her younger sister was up to something.

"Waaaaah... I've been NTR'd..." Hoshino Shikami frowned, revealing a pitiful expression: "Sakura, you have to help me."

“NTR?…” Kuriyama Sakura sighed with a headache. “Tell me what it is.”

"That Tazaki Tsukasa is awful! Can you help me get him away from my sister?"

"I agree with the first sentence, but I can't do anything about the second."

"Please help me..." Hoshino Shika sat down next to her and shook her arms vigorously. "Sister, isn't the decision to choose the client yours? You can just not choose him."

"Sardine" meowed and went back to dozing.

The way Kuriyama Sakura looked at her younger sister was as if she were looking at a defeated dog.

Wait a minute... if my sister is a loser, then wouldn't I, who has the title of 'official wife', also become a loser?

Thinking about it this way, the little tablet was a little unhappy, so she decided to make things difficult for Tsukasa Tazaki.

“Sakura…” Hoshino Shikami stared with her big, watery eyes and said aggrievedly, “Please help me, since we’ve known each other since we were little.”

Kuriyama Sakura crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair, and thought for a while before saying, "I can't help you directly with this, but I can offer some indirect assistance."

Hoshino Shika's eyes lit up immediately: "How can you help me?"

Are you aware of the internal conflicts within the Literature Department?

"I know, I've heard people discussing it in the student council."

“That works.” Kuriyama Sakura nodded and smiled. “You can intervene in the name of the student council. No matter how Tsukasa Tazaki tries to mediate, you can just refute him with the reason that ‘you can’t trust what a scumbag who plays with other people’s feelings says.’ That way, he won’t be able to complete it, right?”

"Great idea!" Hoshino Shikami slapped the table excitedly, "As long as he can't pass the test, we can eliminate him legitimately."

"It's settled. I've arranged a meeting with the Literature Department on Wednesday. You should prepare accordingly."

"Sakura is great~!"

Hoshino Shika gave her a big hug and then happily ran out of the activity room.

Poor little sister who's obsessed with her sister, she's already lost before the battle even started... Kuriyama Sakura sighed with emotion, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes in a daze.

On a sunny afternoon, the hidden turmoil caused by emotional ups and downs subsided, and ordinary tranquility and peace returned, as if nothing had happened.

When Tsukasa Tazaki pushed open the door, he saw her elegant and exquisitely beautiful sleeping face.

Under the desk, black stockings encased her calves, their curves smooth and beautiful. The chubby cat lay on her white flat shoes, sleeping peacefully beside her.

Chapter 81 The Empress vs. the Concubine: Chatting About Nothing More.

The Empress is truly beautiful, especially when she's not speaking.

That fat cat is only slightly cute when it's sleeping.

Tsukasa Tazaki put down his schoolbag, took out a marker and paper from the drawer, and tried to make as little noise as possible.

He glanced back at "Sardine" during the conversation, his face sinister.

I wrote a message on a piece of paper, took some transparent tape, went out, and stuck the paper on the cat's bed in front of the auditorium.

This cat is obese. Please do not feed it for its health.

Done!

In a great mood, on the way back I stopped by the library to visit Professor Shimamoto.

Uh...the person isn't here.

I randomly picked up a novel about time travel and adventure to kill some time, then turned and left.

On the skywalk leading to the club building, I was stopped.

"Tazaki-kun, please go out with me!"

Tazaki Tsukasa leaned back slightly, avoiding the love letter that nearly blinded him, and then took a serious look at the person he was confessing to.

Hmm... he looks familiar, but I have absolutely no idea who he is.

As dusk fell, crimson clouds drifted across the sky, and in the golden, elevated corridor, a girl mustered her courage to confess her love—a romantic scene straight out of a school romance anime.

"Feel sorry."

Tsukasa Tazaki bypassed her and continued walking towards the ATF club.

[Failed! The Yajima Hazuki Stock Index fell 10 points, current stock price: 12]

So it was her... How awful, I'd completely forgotten what she looks like.

"Tap tap tap"

The girl caught up from behind, her footsteps clear and loud.

"Tazaki-kun, may I borrow the book you're holding?"

"Feel sorry."

How ruthless! The Yajima Hazuki stock index has fallen 10 points; current stock price: 2.

The girl probably didn't expect him to refuse so decisively, without even a tactful excuse. She was stunned and her eyes gradually became misty.

Tsukasa Tazaki bypassed her once again and continued walking forward at the same pace.

As the last rays of the setting sun faded, his calm face shimmered with a captivating glow, like that of a manga protagonist.

Wow!

"Kiki is so cool!"

At the corner of the corridor, a cute little girl in a kendo uniform suddenly jumped out, almost bumping into his arms like a rabbit with nowhere to go.

"What are you doing here?" Tsukasa Tazaki stopped and admired her energetic smile.