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

“I think you’re such a blockhead,” Takahiro Tsubokawa said. “Of course you’re worried about your childhood sweetheart being stolen away. I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”

"..."

Uesugi Kai paused for a second, then continued, "She and I aren't in that kind of relationship yet."

Takahiro Tsubokawa couldn't understand why any childhood sweetheart pair would be in this situation, waiting for a miracle to happen.

He asked from behind, "Uesugi, you don't actually like her, do you? Hanamaru is such a nice girl, and you're so close to her, why don't you pursue her?"

Why not pursue...

They were so familiar with each other that they even knew her sleeping position.

Without turning his head, Uesugi Kai said, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

After saying that, he fell silent.

“Just tell me, and I’ll definitely understand.” Goto Iwakatsu patted him on the shoulder, but Uesugi Kai didn’t respond.

Chapter Sixteen: No Chopsticks or Sticks Needed###

The group entered the fourth floor of the teaching building.

“Look at me, I’m completely different,” Goto Iwakatsu said confidently.

Takahiro Tsubokawa nudged him, his face full of disdain: "You're no better. You send at least 10 good morning messages every day. I don't understand why you add so many. Are you a scumbag?"

A second after he finished speaking, he added, "Still a virgin scumbag."

Goto Iwakatsu refused to back down on this one point.

He began by saying, "This is called multi-pronged development. Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. I'm looking for the person destined for me. Sending 'good morning' messages every day is also to observe their attitudes."

“Quantitative change leading to qualitative change is just a generalization; it cannot be applied to all cases, nor can it be a reason for you to be a scumbag,” Uesugi Kai, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

He was happy to see the topic veer off-topic.

"Do they know you're talking to multiple people at the same time?" Tsubokawa asked.

"Of course I don't know. Some people might accept this, but some definitely won't. To be on the safe side, we absolutely cannot let them know this."

Takahiro Tsubokawa adjusted his glasses, his face still filled with disdain:

"Humans cannot, or at least should not."

Back in the classroom, it was almost one o'clock. Shen Gao High School officially started classes at 1:30 pm, with two more classes in the afternoon.

Thanks to the cleaning this morning, there was a lot of free time at noon, allowing Uesugi Kai to take a short nap on the table. Otherwise, it would have been almost time for class as soon as she returned to the classroom after lunch.

Goto Iwakatsu and Tsubokawa Takahiro were still in high spirits despite doing an extra cleaning duty, and they gathered together to discuss which junior had the nicest legs and which had the prettiest hairstyle.

Kai Uesugi closed his eyes, recalling how the class president had turned and left that morning.

Should I apologize?

Oh well... let nature take its course...

Thinking like this, my thoughts gradually calmed and sank with the rustling of leaves by the window.

......

"Uesugi-kun...Uesugi-kun..."

Kai Uesugi, who was sleeping, was awakened by the weak voice. He opened his blurry eyes and the first thing he looked at was the watch on his wrist.

13:23:45

Class hasn't started yet.

He sat up, struggling to adjust his blurry vision. He smelled the gentle breeze and saw the cute girl in the black sailor uniform in front of him. He asked:

"Hanabi, is something the matter?"

With her rosy cheeks, Hanabi Hanamaru held a large stack of brand-new books in her hands, reached out and handed them over, saying timidly:

"Uesugi-kun, you forgot your book, here you go..."

Kai Uesugi stared blankly for two seconds at the book handed to her by the small hand.

Then I realized I'd forgotten to go to the teachers' office to get my books at noon; what a dense head!

However, Hanabi actually knew this and brought it to him before class.

He looked at the girl in front of him and politely thanked her, saying, "Thank you."

"Uesugi-kun...you don't need to thank Hanabi..."

Hanabi Hanamaru shook her head cutely, "When I finished cleaning this morning and was carrying the books, Hanabi found that Uesugi-kun's books were still in the office, so she and Riei-chan brought them over..."

"I came back after dinner and found Uesugi-kun asleep... I didn't want to disturb him..."

Kai Uesugi said nonchalantly, "It's fine, after all, if I sleep any longer I'll oversleep."

"Ah."

Hanabi Hanabi gave him a bright smile, her delicate face radiating a pleasant and comforting joy.

When she returned, Uesugi Kai noticed that Ayaka Rie was giving her a disapproving glare.

Turning back, Uesugi Kai didn't pay her much attention.

"Goto."

He reached forward and tapped Goto Iwakatsu's back hard with the corner of the book; the guy had actually fallen asleep too.

"Sss~"

Goto Iwakatsu felt a sharp pain in his back and instantly woke up. He immediately sat up and looked at the podium, only to find it empty. He frowned and turned around, "Uesugi, what's up?"

Kai Uesugi pointed to the brand-new books on his desk:

"Did you take the book?"

"A book? What book? Hmm...? I forgot!!"

Goto Iwakatsu's pupils suddenly contracted, but then he suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, weren't you sleeping? When did you go to get it? Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Hanabi helped me get it earlier."

"..."

Goto Iwakatsu fell silent, then his gaze towards Uesugi Kai turned one of extreme disgust.

"Is this the despicable Uesugi? A single word from him has the power to destroy a small world. You have severely hurt my fragile heart."

Kai Uesugi glanced at the watch face and said:

"You have four minutes. You still have enough time to get to the teachers' office. By the way, the first period this afternoon is math class."

"Four minutes?! That old man's class?!"

Goto Iwakatsu couldn't sit still any longer. He quickly woke up the drowsy Tsubokawa Takahiro and dragged him out of the classroom.

"I hope you can make it."

Uesugi Kai watched them leave, then looked away and turned his gaze to the window.

Outside, several lush green tree canopies sway gently in the spring breeze.

The most eye-catching one is an ancient banyan tree.

The thick, old branches grew extremely wide, and the heavy leaves covered a large area below. When the wind blew through them, it didn't make the rustling sound of the surrounding trees, but rather a dull rustling sound.

I heard that this tree is over 300 years old and has been standing here since the school was first built.

Many people remember the old banyan tree. Most students would stand under this old tree to take photos when they graduated, to commemorate their lost youth and their beautiful wishes for the future.

That area is also a popular lunch spot for couples.

A stern shout pulled him back to reality.

"Hey! Goto, Tsubokawa! What have you two been up to?! Coming to the classroom so late, do you not respect me at all?!"

The speaker was a stern old teacher nearing sixty, wearing black-rimmed glasses, who was staring sternly at the two people standing at the door holding books.

The eyes of the entire class followed them, silently lamenting their misfortune at being caught in Professor Jiang Chuan's clutches.

Goto Iwakatsu weighed the book he was holding to his chest and said matter-of-factly:

"Carry the books."

They had an air of fearlessness towards powerful figures.

Egawa Hikoshiro's expression was as monotonous and serious as the color of his clothes:

"You have so much time at noon, go to class now! Get in here and start class! Come to my office after class."

Under the old professor's imposing presence, the two had no choice but to slink back to their seats.

As soon as the two sat down, Egawa Hikoshiro immediately began the lesson, acting swiftly and decisively.

It must be said that, as a veteran teacher with more than 20 years of experience, his teaching level is extremely high.

With clear logic and well-organized presentation, the teacher handled the entire math class with ease, reviewing the knowledge points from the previous semester while teaching new knowledge.

As soon as the bell rang, he would announce the end of get out of class, stopping immediately whatever he was saying, just as quickly and forcefully as when he was teaching.

Kai Uesugi likes this kind of teacher.

Egawa Hikoshiro straightened the books in his hands and put them into his black briefcase. With a stern face, he called out to the two people on his right:

"Goto, Tsubokawa, you two come with me."

After saying that, he walked straight out of the classroom, and the quiet atmosphere of the class became noisy after the old professor left.

Goto Iwakatsu stood up and sighed, "Sigh, just a little bit short. I didn't expect that old man to be so punctual. Wouldn't it have been better if he had come later?"

Takahiro Tsubokawa, however, was a seasoned veteran, showing no fear on his face.

"Don't be afraid, at most you'll get a scolding, it's not a big deal."

Sure enough, the two who went out returned quickly, and they seemed quite relaxed.

Kai Uesugi, who was reading a book, looked up at the two of them and asked, "How is it?"