My love index is at its maximum.

……

As dusk fell, the streets of Yotsuya were shrouded in a pale golden twilight.

Occasionally, a sultry breeze would blow through the gaps between the office buildings, ruffling the girls' skirts, and the "click-clack" sound of their sandals hitting the ground would echo softly on the sidewalk in the evening.

Tsukasa Tazaki walked quietly, glancing occasionally at the hydrangeas blooming in the green belt.

Kuriyama Sakura stood beside him, glancing at him every now and then.

It was just like the first time the two of them walked this road together.

Tazaki Tsukasa's attitude towards this rich, beautiful, and well-connected young lady has never changed—do you think everyone in the world is your mother and has to give way to you in every way?

He was very unhappy about being coerced into dealing with such time-wasting trivial matters twice in a row, and the situation of being schemed against but unable to fight back.

Tazaki Tsukasa wasn't a petty person, but he also wasn't one to silently endure being wronged. So now he was giving her a taste of what it was like to be forced to participate in something she wasn't interested in.

As for Shimamoto-sensei, she forced herself... Hey, is it wrong to treat people differently?

Walking onto the overpass spanning the railway tracks, Tsukasa Tazaki leaned against the railing, took out a sip of water from his schoolbag, and drank it.

A gentle breeze swept across the green slope, over the railway tracks, and casually rustled the leaves of the trees. A flock of crows took flight from the garbage dump beside the tracks and slowly flew westward.

Kuriyama Sakura still stared at him with a cold expression, her cheeks slightly puffed out.

"I'm going to work."

Tsukasa Tazaki tightened the bottle cap and looked at her: "I don't have time to entertain you, Miss. You know, last time I stayed up all night with you in the auditorium, I lost a full 3600 yen of my salary. Don't laugh, 3600 yen may not mean much to you, but it means three days' living expenses for me."

Kuriyama Sakura leaned on the railing, gazing at the shimmering railway tracks in the setting sun: "Why do you think I would get involved in something as boring as a competition with the Literature Club?"

"Since you're so smart, why don't you figure out what I'll do if you don't participate?"

"Retreat?"

"clever."

What happens after you withdraw?

"For me, the club is just a place to drink tea and read books; it doesn't matter where I go. Besides..."

As they were talking, Tsukasa Tazaki stopped and looked at her with great interest.

"What else?" Kuriyama Sakura turned her head and stared into his eyes, her emotions gradually calming down.

"The person who forced me to participate in club activities back then is now..."

"Stop it, nobody wants to hear you brag!"

Kuriyama Sakura's emotions, which had just calmed down, suddenly became chaotic again. Are all people in love crazy? Do they die if they don't show it off?

"It sounds a bit cheesy..." Tsukasa Tazaki chuckled and said, "But I quite enjoy seeing a cold, rich girl like this, looking like she wants to devour me. It's like seeing a captive saint or a captured princess; it makes you wonder."

"Stop having those filthy thoughts."

"Don't worry, I have absolutely no interest in you."

"You don't even need to leave the department, I can kick you out right now!"

"up to you."

Tazaki Tsukasa yawned boredly. A sparrow perched on the railing of the overpass. He observed it for a few moments before turning to Kuriyama Sakura: "I currently have two mountains on my back. One is 'an arrogant and rude first-year student,' and the other is 'a scumbag who plays with girls' feelings.' If you accept the challenge, you'll fall into my trap. If you don't, your ATF club, which consists of only you, will become the object of ridicule, and my second mountain will crumble on its own. No matter which you choose, the outcome will be good for me."

Kuriyama Sakura's eyes flickered slightly, and her pink lips trembled: "To force me, you're willing to ruin your own reputation?"

"Nothing is more pleasurable than the feeling of intellectual superiority."

Tazaki Tsukasa raised an eyebrow, then suddenly turned around and faced her in a position that was almost like a wall slam.

"What do you want to do..." Kuriyama Sakura subconsciously leaned back, her upper body sticking out of the railing, her long ponytail hanging above the railing and swinging in the air.

"Don't look at me with such surprise. We're the same kind of people." Tazaki Tsukasa stared at her face with an oppressive gaze. "Basically, we're only interested in our own affairs. Whether we're arrogant or rude is not a consideration. We're only interested in our own thoughts, feelings, and actions, aren't we?"

Kuriyama Sakura pursed her lips and turned her head away to avoid his gaze.

Tazaki Tsukasa pinched her delicate chin and forcibly turned her face towards him: "Until your IQ catches up with mine, you'd better obediently play with those people in the Literature Club, understand?"

"..." Kuriyama Sakura's face was cold, and her expression was very stubborn.

"Of course, this might be something you can never do in your lifetime. Why don't you consider just admitting defeat and having your father, who is a cabinet minister, deal with me?"

"Shut up!"

Kuriyama Sakura bit her lower lip, a ripple of embarrassment and annoyance appearing in her clear eyes.

From now on, I consider you a friend! The Kuriyama Sakura stock index rose 70 points, with the current stock price at 140.

?

Something's wrong with you!

Tazaki Tsukasa's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly let go of her hand and took a big step back.

Little Tablet's emotions were so volatile today, it felt more thrilling than riding a roller coaster. Tsukasa Tazaki was a little worried that she might break down.

And... what do you mean by treating me as a friend?

Could there be a hidden M attribute?

Kuriyama Sakura glared at him, took a deep breath, and her expression softened.

It doesn't look broken yet.

Tazaki Tsukasa breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and walked towards Shimamoto Kana and her sister-in-law, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, with a smile.

The Literature Club incident has now come to an end.

Kuriyama Sakura suffered a crushing defeat.

The members of the Literature Department suffered a crushing defeat.

Kana Shimamoto suffered a crushing defeat and still had to use her body to prepare benefits for the students.

My sister-in-law... she's utterly useless, let's not even mention her.

Chapter 86 My adorable little sister is a real suicide truck.

"Although this method is effective, the teacher doesn't like it."

"You yourself are a book lover, so you should have a lot in common with the students in the literature department..."

Kana Shimamoto's sweet voice echoed in the twilight of the overpass, swirling gently in the night breeze.

Looking down from the overpass, the colorful neon lights of Yotsuya Street begin to flash. Salarymen in suits walk on the sidewalk at the same pace, expressionless, like a school of salmon swimming upstream.

"I'm talking to you!"

Shimamoto Kana angrily tugged at Tazaki Tsukasa's ear, "Can't you look at the teacher?"

Tsukasa Tazaki scratched his cheek in annoyance and looked away.

"I didn't mean for you to look at the teacher's legs, I meant for you to look into the teacher's eyes." Shimamoto Kana lowered her eyebrows, looking very troubled. "Are you angry? You don't take my request to heart at all!"

“Never mind, I’ve already done it.” Tsukasa Tazaki stared meaningfully into her complex eyes and said with a smile, “Now, it’s time for the teacher to fulfill his promise.”

Kana Shimamoto blinked a couple of times: "Is this all you think about all day?"

Hoshino Shikami stared at the two of them suspiciously for a while, then couldn't help but ask, "What promise?"

"Children shouldn't ask about adult matters." Tsukasa Tazaki spoke in a completely adult tone.

"You..." The sister-in-law was so angry that she choked. She didn't know what to say for a long time, so she could only "humph" to express her dissatisfaction.

"I can't do anything with you." Shimamoto Kana tilted her head to look at Tazaki Tsukasa, her lips slightly pouting. This adorable gesture was clearly incongruous with her age, but it had a charmingly unexpected appeal.

Tazaki Tsukasa subconsciously raised the corners of his mouth, his smile filled with ulterior motives.

"Let's put aside the welfare for now and give the teacher some time to prepare." Shimamoto Kana flicked her long hair and winked playfully. "Let's talk about your competition with the Literature Club."

“Oh, no need to trouble me with such things.” Tsukasa Tazaki glanced back at Sakura Kuriyama, who was still sulking, and said with a smile, “My club president will fight for her only member for the next three years.”

Kuriyama Sakura: "..."

I'm so angry.

She desperately wanted to call Hoshino Hanami immediately and use every word to describe this despicable man!

"Why can't you be a little gentler with Kuriyama-san?" Shimamoto Kana stared into his eyes, her tone helpless: "It's very ungentlemanly to bully a beautiful girl."

"Gentleness is reserved only for those you care about."

Tsukasa Tazaki looked back into her eyes, his gaze lingering for a long time.

The sun had already set behind Tokyo Bay, and the sky, as night gradually fell, resembled a can of blue paint that had been poured out.

Kana Shimamoto slowly narrowed her eyes, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Is that so?" she asked, her narrowed eyes sparkling with a gentle light.

Tsukasa Tazaki replied, "Of course."

Kana Shimamoto nodded in satisfaction, her dignified face bathed in the twilight, radiating a gentle aura.

If the teacher is willing to get a divorce… Tazaki Tsukasa regretfully turned his gaze to Hoshino Shikami. He carefully considered his words before gently saying, “From now on, we’re family. Please take care of me, little sister.”

"Clam?"

Hoshino Shikami stared blankly, her mouth agape. It was the first time she had seen her brother-in-law's gentle side, and she was completely bewildered, even feeling a little like biting his hand.

"Shikami is so cute." Tsukasa Tazaki praised her, then patted her head with the same touch an older sister would, and said with a chuckle, "I won't hold your mistake against you, but please don't be so willful in the future."

"I...I understand."

Hoshino Shika looked away shyly, her cheeks burning. Perhaps feeling a little guilty, she muttered, "From now on... I won't have anyone collect protection money from you anymore."

Kuriyama Sakura sighed and rubbed her forehead, looking at her sister with a "ha, weakling" expression.

Tazaki Tsukasa paused for a moment, then the smile on his face gradually turned into a sinister grin.

He was originally referring to the incident of 'preventing his sister from leaving the house in the morning,' but his sister-in-law blurted it out herself. Since that's the case, we should take this opportunity to dig deeper and find something to use to blackmail her later.

"Is the only thing you need to apologize for—protection money?"

"No, that's all." Hoshino Shikami shook her head.

His voice lacked strength, and his gaze drooped.