Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

"There must be something wrong for me to hide here."

"That serious?"

"Well, it's lighter than you thought, mainly just in case."

Uesugi Shio spoke with a tone so earnest it bordered on lazy, and her slightly wavy hair gave off a strange sense of disarray.

"But those guys who are annexing the kingdom are exploiting both sides. With such a large orchard as Grandpa's, what wouldn't they do?"

"Grandpa's oranges are so good, and there have never been any complaints before, but recently there have been a lot of complaints. Some people even said that last year's oranges caused them to have diarrhea today. How stupid of them."

"..."

"Never mind, Grandpa's decision is something only he can change. I hope everything goes well."

Uesugi Shio extended the index finger of her other hand, her gaze fixed on it as she shook it erratically.

Uesugi Kai always felt that her strange actions were meaningless.

However, the index finger, accompanied by the sound of fireworks and frying vegetables, quickly pointed at him.

Uesugi Shio slammed her chin on the table with a thud, her black hair spreading out to both sides, her light blue sideburns still prominent.

Doesn't it hurt?

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but think.

Uesugi Shio, looking completely listless, said:

"You got carried away with your words, Ah-Zhao is still as amazing as ever."

"It was just a normal chat."

The finger pointing at him turned into a limp, dangling hand.

"No, no, no, we were just talking about you and Hanabi a moment ago, and then we jumped to Grandpa's side all of a sudden."

Looking at his face, his listless eyes focused slightly.

"Ah-Zhao, it's been so many years, you've grown very handsome."

"Barely," Uesugi Kai said modestly.

"You must have attracted quite a few girls, right?"

"What does Sister Xi want to say?"

Uesugi Shio, who was lying on the table, turned her head towards the kitchen and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Hanabi is only 15 years old, and she's already your fiancée, Kai."

"You're not just using sweet talk to deceive this naive young girl's feelings, are you?"

"I really mean it." That's what Uesugi Kai thought.

Uesugi Shio exclaimed, "Eh~"

"You always told me that Xiaohuahuo was your sister."

"Didn't Shio-nee say I like to lie? This is it." Uesugi Kai took a sip of the hot tea brewed by Hanabi, the rising steam blurring his face.

"No, you weren't lying back then."

Her fair cheeks, dignified appearance, rarely seen small tiger teeth, light blue earrings, and consistently listless eyes—all these features combined make her look like a beautiful girl with no personality traits.

—Her appearance is largely a product of her mother's unfortunate passing.

"Well, but it's not a lie to say 'it's the truth'."

"When did Sister tide learn this skill?"

"What skills? I've just been fooled by you so many times. I can tell if you're lying just by looking into your eyes."

Hanamaru Hanabi had already prepared the dishes and was carrying plates as she walked out of the kitchen.

Kai Uesugi couldn't understand why she could tell from his eyes whether he was lying.

"Sister tide, could you tell me about your experience in seeing through my lies?"

"Sure." A casual, easygoing tone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hanabi Hanabi approaching, and Uesugi Shio changed from a prone position to a sitting position, taking the plate that Hanabi offered.

After placing the plate on the table, she continued speaking to Uesugi Kai:

"When you lie, your eyes have a serious look in them, but when you tell the truth or are wronged, your eyes become indifferent."

"Um..."

Uesugi Kai began to seriously consider her words. Could it really be like that?

After Hanabi Hanabi finished scooping three bowls of rice, she sat down next to him and nodded with a smile to Uesugi Shio across from her: "Shio-neechan."

Uesugi Shio returned her a smile that rarely appeared: "Hanabi-chan has become so much cuter again. Thank you for your hard work, unlike me who just hides here and slacks off."

"Sister tide is a guest, please don't say that."

Hanabi Hanamaru didn't realize that her words had a very housewife-like quality.

"..."

Uesugi Shio's gaze towards Uesugi Kai changed slightly, her pupils becoming deep and focused:

"Ah-Zhao~"

"Ok?"

"Really, is everything alright?"

Uesugi Kai didn't understand what she meant: "What do you mean no problem?"

"you."

"Me? What happened to me?"

"You didn't bully Xiaohuahuo, did you?"

"..."

Uesugi Kai initially wanted to say no, but after thinking about it, she changed her mind and said, "Generally speaking, no."

"Why would you ask that, Sister Shio?" Hanabi asked, holding the bowl of white rice in front of her.

"nothing."

Uesugi Shio returned to that normal yet abnormal state.

------

Uesugi Shio is Uesugi Kai's cousin and the daughter of his second uncle, Uesugi Jiro.

In the past, when Kai Uesugi went back to his hometown during summer vacation, he would often meet with her.

Because the mothers of the Uesugi and Hanamaru families had a close relationship, the Hanamaru family would sometimes travel to Ehime Prefecture together.

After a while, the group became acquainted.

In mid-June, Tokyo experienced a prolonged rainy season, so I had to take out and search through many things in my house.

Little Fireworks has made many Teru Teru Bozu dolls and hung them on the eaves of both houses.

"Does Little Fireworks want to be a weather maiden?"

The room in the morning was filled with clothes laid out in a mess.

"Do not want to."

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the ability to make the sky clear up?"

“If Kai-kun is talking about the kind with hinaga sauce, then it won’t work.”

After tidying up the room, the two sat on the edge of the bed and watched the gloomy, drizzling rain outside the blinds, which seemed to be covering the entire city of Tokyo.

Hanabi Hanamaru's legs swung up and down by the bedside, her slender bare feet possessing the delicate texture of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl.

She hummed a song softly, clutching the shark doll that Uesugi had given her, completely captivated by it.

She has always been a very quiet girl, but sometimes when she is happy, she becomes very ethereal.

At this moment, everyone wanted to get close to this pure and innocent girl.

Do you like it?

"Ah."

The degree of affection is evident in actions.

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but sigh, just how "deeply" he supposedly won the hearts of girls really was.

They always carry it with them, and it always stands between them when they sleep at night.

dong dong...

knocking.

Uesugi Shio, carrying a few pieces of her own clothing, opened the door.

"Ah-Zhao, I have nowhere to put these clothes."

"Isn't your wardrobe big enough for you?" Uesugi Kai asked.

"It's not enough, it's not enough," Uesugi Shio said.

"Fold them up and put them in the box."

“Good idea,” Uesugi Shio praised, “but my suitcase is also full.”

How did you manage to bring so many clothes?

"I bought a few more items while you were at school these past few days."

Uesugi Shio glanced at the two people sitting on the bedside by the window, "Let's put it in Kai's closet, since you don't have many clothes anyway."

"casual."

Kai Uesugi, on the other hand, didn't care.

Hanamaru Hanabi's little feet kept dangling by the bedside.

"Sister tide...aren't you going to school?"