My love index is at its maximum.

The layout is the same as his rented room, except that this place is much larger.

The brown wooden floors were clean and tidy, the ceiling was free of mold, and the walls, painted with blue primer, were decorated with stickers and calendars.

Shifting my gaze, near the balcony stood two old wooden tables and a swivel chair, placed side by side. Beneath the roller blinds, books and file racks were neatly stacked, along with an old laptop and a pen holder containing several ballpoint pens and pencils. The other wooden table was piled high with colorful strings, suggesting she had brought her shrine work home to finish.

There was a simple single wooden bed against the left wall, with a snow-white bedspread and no pink plush toys or anything like that.

A wooden board was mounted on the headboard, upon which sat a small stereo system. Beside the bed was a wooden wardrobe and a dressing table with a mirror, on which only lip balm and a comb were placed.

Clean, tidy, and with a faint fragrance, the room was the kind of environment that Tsukasa Tazaki liked to live in.

When he looked away, he saw potatoes piled up like a small mountain next to the kitchen.

"There are lots of potatoes, I wasn't lying to you."

He heard Shiori Ninomiya's voice and turned around, their eyes meeting.

She tilted her head and laughed, "If I were to eat them myself, I'd probably throw half of them away because they'd sprout."

"It must be tiring to carry all these potatoes up to the second floor."

"Haha... The postman who delivered the potatoes carried them up for me one bag at a time."

"Are postal workers really that helpful?"

“No, he wasn’t supposed to bring it upstairs.” Ninomiya Shiori placed the disposable paper cup on the table and tilted her head to look at him: “But I’m cute.”

Tsukasa Tazaki nodded: "I guessed it."

"Pretty girls really do have special privileges."

"Enviable."

Shiori Ninomiya moved a chair and sat down opposite him, crossing her legs. Her trouser legs were slightly rolled up, revealing a glimpse of her thighs and buttocks, showcasing her graceful curves.

Tsukasa Tazaki lowered his head and drank his lemonade, refusing to look.

"Hey, you really aren't going to watch?"

"dont see."

"There won't be another chance next time. After all, it was Kiki who took the initiative to come this time. I'm not confident I can get you to come again."

"I won't look at it then."

"Kiki is amazing, I knew I hadn't misjudged her."

Shiori Ninomiya laughed happily for a while, took a sip of water, and the two chatted about all sorts of things.

Most of the time, she was the one talking, and Tsukasa Tazaki was listening.

She started by talking about her hometown in Hokkaido, a remote coastal town in Hokkaido.

It's small, dilapidated, old, and run-down; the weather forecast is outside the target area, the tram only runs every two hours, and the convenience store closes at six o'clock; there's no bookstore, no dentist, nowhere to hire, and no one marries into it...

As she spoke, she mentioned her father, who knew nothing but growing potatoes, her mother, who was a typical Yamato Nadeshiko (ideal Japanese woman), the elementary and junior high schools she attended (the junior high school only had about forty students), and the prize she won in a writing competition in her third year of junior high (a bicycle, which was stolen after less than a week of use).

His life was uneventful, but Tsukasa Tazaki listened intently, as if he were hearing about a distant, unfamiliar country with strange and interesting customs.

Do you know what it means for a school to have only forty-odd students?

Ninomiya Shiori suddenly asked this question, and before Tazaki Tsukasa could answer, she continued to complain to herself: "It's that kind of helplessness where even if I get the top score in the whole school, I can't find anyone to brag to!"

Tsukasa Tazaki asked jokingly, "So you came to Tokyo just to get first place in the exam and then brag to others?"

“I’ve had that thought too.” She gulped down a few mouthfuls of lemonade, let out a long sigh, and said with a touch of emotion, “But Tokyo is too crazy. I thought I could easily get into the top ten in my grade. In the end, I barely made it into the top 100 in the entrance exam, and even though I studied like crazy for the first monthly test, I only made it into the top 50.”

"That's impressive," Tsukasa Tazaki said earnestly. "Many people in our school have grown up receiving elite education since childhood. It's remarkable that you were able to get into the top fifty."

“But being in the top fifty is far from enough.” The little cutie shook her head. “I need to get into the top ten in the grade at the very least so that I can get a full refund of half of the tuition I paid.”

"There are still more than two months left, keep it up."

"Kiki, you're so great, how about you tutor me?"

"Eh?"

Tsukasa Tazaki shook his head sharply: "We can't study together."

He wasn't stupid. This girl was definitely trying to win him over under the guise of studying. He couldn't give her that opportunity!

"Kiki, are you getting the wrong idea?" The little cutie rested her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "The key to this question is whether you're willing to help me study. That's all. Yes or no, please think about it simply."

It's clearly you who's never been innocent...

“I, uh…” Tsukasa Tazaki thought for a moment and answered carefully, “I generally don’t like trouble, and for me right now, with someone watching me, I don’t dare to get too close to other girls.”

Shiori Ninomiya stared intently at him across the dining table, her gaze calm.

"The person you like?"

"Ah."

"May I know who it is?"

Tsukasa Tazaki asked, "Can I think about whether I should answer?"

"Of course, whether you tell me or not depends on your mood."

"Then please keep it a secret."

Shiori Ninomiya pursed her lips tightly, her eyes seeming to say "no problem."

“Hoshino Hanami.” Saying this name cleared up Tazaki Tsukasa’s previously chaotic thoughts. He took a few slow breaths and said calmly, “I like her very much, and she likes me too. We are dating.”

Shiori Ninomiya was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed, "As expected of a handsome guy from Tokyo, even his love life is amazing."

After speaking, she gave a laugh that sounded either helpless or self-deprecating, and brought the cup to her lips. Due to the light, her eyes seemed to be tinged with the color of lemon slices for a moment, and her usually expressive face vanished instantly.

Tsukasa Tazaki lowered his head and quietly looked at his knees.

Shiori Ninomiya drank several glasses of lemonade in a row, then closed her eyes as if savoring something.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the gaps in the curtains, making the dust particles floating in the air appear exceptionally beautiful.

After about ten minutes of silence, she raised her hand to look at her watch: "I need to go downstairs and tidy up the courtyard. Wait here for me for a while."

Tsukasa Tazaki looked up: "Tending the garden?"

“Yes, the workload is heavy.” She stood up and walked towards the wardrobe as she spoke. “The landlord is the owner of the video store downstairs. He’s too busy to tidy up. When I rented this place, I discussed it with him and said that I could take care of the yard maintenance, and the rent would be reduced by 1 yen per month.”

She walked to the wardrobe, pulled out a screen with a whoosh, and peeked over with half her head showing: "I'm changing clothes first, don't peek!"

"..."

Tazaki Tsukasa was stunned for a moment, then said helplessly, "Can't we change in the bathroom with the door closed?"

"I trust Kiki."

Shiori Ninomiya stared into his eyes, a warm smile spreading across her face that would make even an iceberg give her heart.

Bathed in the soft sunlight, her delicate and pretty face appeared as exquisitely as a paper-cut silhouette. Even Tazaki Tsukasa, who was used to seeing her various expressions, couldn't help but be captivated by the beautiful girl charm she displayed at this moment.

Chapter Ninety-Three: The Boy, the Girl, and the White Cat

Perhaps somewhere next to the wardrobe, a rustling sound could be heard.

Even with your eyes closed, you can conjure up a clear picture in your mind just by hearing it.

She first took off her loose top, the soft fabric brushing against her smooth, silky skin, then her trousers rubbed past her knees and fell to the ground.

Then, I heard the sound of the wardrobe door opening, followed by the sound of clothes brushing against my skin.

A warm breeze blew in through the open window, carrying the scent of summer, the girl's body, and hazy emotions—everything was like a crumpled and then smoothed-out A4 sheet of paper, with wrinkles that were more or less irreparable.

"All right."

The sound of the folding screen followed, and Tsukasa Tazaki opened her eyes to see that she had changed into a clumsy light gray work uniform and was wearing a baseball cap.

Shiori Ninomiya spread her arms and twirled around, asking him, "How's the look?"

"Like a decorator preparing to paint the walls beautifully."

"Isn't that the same word I used to praise your way of speaking last time?" The little cutie laughed gleefully.

"Let's go." Tsukasa Tazaki walked towards the door. "I'll help you."

"Wow, Kiki is so nice to me."

"I'm just worried you might get heatstroke, don't overthink it."

"Wow, Kiki is so kind to me."

"..."

After coming down the stairs, Shiori Ninomiya went to the storeroom to get a broom. There was a small bowl of food by the door, containing half-eaten dried fish, which was probably leftovers from the cat.

Tsukasa Tazaki stood in the corridor, gazing at the small courtyard bathed in the early summer sunlight. There wasn't anything particularly special about the scenery; weeds occupied most of the space, with only two or three inconspicuous hydrangeas blooming amidst the greenery.

The cherry trees in the corner of the yard are growing quite well. Their vibrant green leaves rustle in the breeze. You could probably put a hammock under their shade and lie there all day.

"Here, Kiki, take it."

Shiori Ninomiya emerged from the storeroom and handed him a pair of garden shears. She herself was wearing rubber gloves, seemingly preparing to pull weeds from the ground.

Tsukasa Tazaki asked, "Isn't there a lawnmower?"

"How could such a small yard possibly have a lawnmower?"

“If we only rely on our hands…” he looked around and said, “It would be quite a difficult task to repair.”

"Is it hard?" Shiori Ninomiya squatted on the ground, squinting as she examined the weeds that had grown to her calves. "For a country girl, this is nothing."

After saying that, she glanced at Tsukasa Tazaki again: "Don't push yourself. If you're tired, take a break. If you're thirsty, go to the video store and get a cold drink. Just call the landlord Uncle Fujiwara. He's a nice guy, so don't be polite with him."

The sunlight shone directly down, making her little face rosy and especially pretty.

Tsukasa Tazaki always felt that there was something very attractive about her, something he could definitely attribute to her lively eyes and very infectious smile.

“Okay, also…” He waved the large scissors in his hand with a cool gesture, “Don’t underestimate me. I’m no longer the Tazaki Tsukasa who gets a bad cold after just one rain shower.”

"Wow, I almost forgot about that if you hadn't mentioned it!"

Shiori Ninomiya's eyes lit up, and she smiled at him, saying, "I'll give you something later."

"What is it?"