My love index is at its maximum.

"I can't say now, we need to keep it a secret."

"Strange and weird."

Tsukasa Tazaki walked to the cherry tree in the corner and brandished the scissors in his hand.

Gardening skill proficiency +1

Current skill level: Beginner (1/100)

Each time you cut a branch, a notification pops up saying you've gained +1 experience.

Once these few cherry trees are pruned, mastering gardening skills shouldn't be a problem.

This skill might not seem very useful at first glance, but Tsukasa Tazaki quite likes it. Her teacher's yard is quite large; once her gardening skills improve, she can decorate the currently somewhat monotonous yard according to her preferences.

As noon approached, a gentle breeze blew in from outside.

Looking out through the concrete wall, you could barely see the streetlights and power lines outside, but nothing else. The clouds floating in the sky were clearly visible, white clumps of various shapes drifting freely in the air, like cotton candy torn apart by tiny hands.

The sounds of children playing nearby drifted over the wall, and bubbles floated in the breeze. Bathed in sunlight, these bubbles refracted strange, hazy hues before silently bursting onto the weeds.

Around noon, Shiori Ninomiya brought out two small stools from the storage room.

"Let's take a break, it's so hot."

As she wiped her sweat, she handed her a lemon candy: "Want one?"

"it is good."

Tazaki Tsukasa sat on a stool, a lemon candy in his hand. He was wearing a T-shirt, thin sweatpants, and tennis shoes. After a long period of physical labor, his armpits and chest were soaked with sweat.

"Hey, would you like something to drink?" Shiori Ninomiya tilted her head and said, "I'm a little hot, I'd like an iced cola."

"I'll have a Coke too."

The little cutie jumped up from the stool and disappeared lightly through the back door of the music store.

Meow~!

A large white cat suddenly appeared on the wall to the side of Tsukasa Tazaki. He turned around and the two stared at each other for a moment. The white cat jumped down from the wall, wagging its tail, and walked onto the veranda to eat its dried fish.

After a while, Shiori Ninomiya returned with two cups of cola. The two leaned against the tree trunk, enjoying the comfort of the chilled cola.

"That cat belongs to the landlord."

"Oh, it's quite fat, about the size of a sardine."

"Haha... I heard that someone recently posted a note in the sardines' nest telling everyone not to feed them. I wonder who is so heartless."

Tsukasa Tazaki did not answer.

It's not because I feel guilty.

Instead, he was biting into a piece of ice, crunching it down.

Shiori Ninomiya jokingly asked, "If I go back to Hokkaido someday, will you miss me?"

Tsukasa Tazaki turned her head and looked over. She smiled and shook the glass, the ice cubes making a crisp, bell-like sound as they struck each other.

"Yes, I will," he replied simply.

"Yay! That's awesome!" The little cutie raised her hands excitedly, "Today is a huge victory for Shiori-chan!!!"

Tazaki Tsukasa sighed, rubbing his forehead: "A clueless girl."

The cat on the veranda glanced at the two humans with surprise, scratched at the wooden floor a few times, then meowed and jumped over the wall.

Tsukasa Tazaki suddenly realized that cats are truly strange creatures, with their own unique and serene way of life.

It's perfectly normal for cats to suddenly disappear; there's no need to worry. They'll naturally return when they're hungry. If they don't come back, it just means the outside world is more suitable for them.

If only people could live like that.

If people were as free as cats, they would naturally be able to face gatherings and partings with a calmer mindset and a more dignified attitude.

Chapter Ninety-Four: Some things become memories, others are forgotten.

After finishing my cola, I continued working under the scorching sun.

Gardening skill proficiency +1

Current skill level: Beginner (100/100)

Gardening (Beginner) → Gardening (Advanced)

The system popped up a notification that the skill had been upgraded, just as the cherry tree was finished being pruned.

Tazaki Tsukasa used his expert gardening skills to prune the ugly cherry tree once again.

Give it a beautiful new trim.

"It's done."

Tsukasa Tazaki snapped his fingers in what he thought was a cool gesture and looked at Shiori Ninomiya. The uprooted weeds piled high to one side made her already slender figure appear even smaller.

Shiori Ninomiya turned her head and saw the cherry trees that had been trimmed quite well. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, that's amazing. I thought you would just prune them haphazardly and end up with a few ugly ducklings."

"You must be quite surprised!"

“Indeed.” Shiori Ninomiya wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and said with a smile, “Could you help me ask the landlord for a few trash bags?”

"Besides garbage bags, do you need anything else?"

"Ask if they have herbicide. If they do, take it. If not, just take the garbage bags."

"no problem."

Tsukasa Tazaki walked up the corridor and pushed open the back door of the video store.

The store was playing nostalgic rock music, including The Eagles' "Hotel California".

They danced gracefully in the courtyard.

Sweating profusely in the summer heat.

Some become memories.

Some are forgotten.

After listening for a few seconds, Tsukasa Tazaki walked to the counter.

Inside sat a middle-aged man in his mid-thirties, with a beard and messy long hair tied in a bun at the back of his head.

“Uncle Fujiwara?” he asked.

The middle-aged man looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Who are you?"

"Ninomiya asked me to come in and get a trash bag from you." Tsukasa Tazaki thought for a moment and added, "The weeds in the yard have been mostly cleared, and I'm planning to put them in bags and take them away. If you have any weed killer, please give it to me as well."

"Oh, Ninomiya said a classmate came to help when he got the Coke." Uncle Fujiwara chuckled. "I thought it was a female classmate, but it turned out to be a guy. You must be her boyfriend, right?"

"No, we're just ordinary classmates."

That's a real shame.

Uncle Fujiwara shook his head regretfully, bent down and pulled out a few large garbage bags from under the counter: "Weed killer is gone. Tell Ninomiya, I'll spray it myself when I have time. Thanks for her hard work today."

"Thank you."

Tsukasa Tazaki accepted the gift with both hands and nodded his thanks.

As we walked back to the back door, Uncle Fujiwara poked his head out from behind the counter: "Hey, young man, she's a wonderful girl. Lively and cute, thoughtful and strong, and so beautiful too. It's hard to find such a good girl these days, you shouldn't miss out."

“If possible…” Tsukasa Tazaki hesitated for a moment, then said, “It would be best if we didn’t miss it.”

Back in the courtyard, he helped Shiori Ninomiya pull out all the weeds, bagged them, and piled them in a corner to await the scheduled disposal. After sweeping the entire courtyard again with bamboo brooms, the two returned to the second floor together.

"I'll cook for you. If you're hungry, just grab something to eat from the fridge."

"Just make something simple."

Tazaki Tsukasa called out to the kitchen, then opened the refrigerator and glanced inside. There were tomatoes, cucumbers, jelly, and a small tub of ice cream. He grabbed a cucumber and ate it while watching the little cutie cook.

Is there any dish you particularly want to eat?

"Hmm... I'll have omelet rice."

"No problem, it'll be done soon."

"I'm a little hungry, make a larger portion."

Shiori Ninomiya turned around and proudly gave him a thumbs up: "I'll make sure you're full!"

Light streamed in through the gaps in the kitchen exhaust fan, illuminating her gray overalls and making her silhouette appear somewhat blurred.

"Looking forward to it," Tsukasa Tazaki replied, biting into a cucumber.

Soon, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen, and the sound of water boiling came from the gas stove. Following closely behind were the sounds of a knife chopping on a cutting board, scrambling eggs, and the aroma of grilled fish.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Tsukasa Tazaki asked.

"It'll be ready soon, just wait a little longer!"

Not long after he finished speaking, the rice was cooked and the dishes were neatly arranged and plated.

Two servings of omelet rice, grilled eel, green pepper beef, lettuce salad, and a soup with tofu and fish.

The two sat facing each other across a small table. Tsukasa Tazaki was the first to try the grilled eel; the fish was tender and fresh. The sauce, made with dark soy sauce, sake, and other seasonings, was also quite delicious.

How does it taste?

"Unexpectedly good."

"I've always said I'm a great cook!"

Shiori Ninomiya seemed genuinely happy, even her lips were upturned as she chewed the beef.

“But I don’t like the soup,” Tsukasa Tazaki said frankly.

"Huh?" Shiori Ninomiya quickly picked up the soup bowl, took a sip, and after savoring it carefully, she asked with some doubt, "Is everything alright?"

"The soup is fine, the problem is with me."

Tsukasa Tazaki said something that sounded a bit nonsensical to her.

What's the problem?