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

------

Exam week is a boring week.

That was certainly true for Kai Uesugi.

This lousy system doesn't even issue tasks, and it's completely invisible.

He opened the system page.

You have a new message.

It wasn't that Cao Cao had arrived, but rather that Uesugi Kai hadn't been paying attention to the system; this new message had appeared two days prior.

[Special Events]

[Reward: 40 Attribute Points]

The past has not completely faded away; crisis is lurking all around us, and you may lose everything that can never be recovered at any time.

Someone is watching you closely; please act with caution in the near future.

[Clue/Hint: Hanamaru]

Kai Uesugi's flowing pen stopped abruptly, the elegant black characters came to an abrupt halt, and Nozomi Haneda's voice explaining from the lectern suddenly became inaudible.

what is this?

What does "crisis" refer to?

Does "Hana-maru" refer to fireworks?

Why haven't I noticed anything these past two days?

Uesugi Kai remained silent for a long time, his pen tapping against the paper, making a clattering sound, as he frowned in deep thought.

After class, he got up and went to ask Mr. Haneda for leave.

"Uesugi-kun, is your stomach hurting again?"

"Something came up at home, and I need to go back."

Haneda Nozomi was very lenient with him, even though it was exam week. "Did you get a leave request text from your parents? If so, I can write you a leave note."

"Just sent it."

Kai Uesugi pointed to the lectern, where Nozomi Haneda's phone was placed on the white lesson plan, with neat black handwriting visible around it.

He asked his mother to send it to him, saying he had forgotten his student ID at home and needed it for the nationally standardized scoring exam.

“No problem,” Haneda Nozomi picked up her phone, turned on the screen, glanced at it, and asked with concern, “Is it something serious at home?”

"No."

I hope not.

That's all Uesugi Kai can say.

Haneda Nozomi: "Come to my office with me, I need to get your leave slip."

As I walked down the corridor with Ms. Haneda, groups of students in black school uniforms brushed past me.

Aside from being a little tired during exam week, it was a perfectly ordinary and wonderful day of campus life.

Why did this happen?

Kai Uesugi walked back to the classroom with the leave slip from Ms. Haneda and began packing his schoolbag.

"Hey, Hanabi-chan, it seems like your Uesugi is going back home." A female classmate in the classroom said, noticing Uesugi Kai packing his bag by the window.

Hanabi Hanabi turned her head to look at him; he seemed to be in a hurry.

He looked puzzled.

"Don't you know about Hanabi-chan?"

"have no idea..."

Hanabi Hanabi responded softly, clutching her skirt tightly with her small hands, and stood up from the stool. "Hanabi will go ask..."

She walked over, just as Goto and Tsubokawa went to the restroom.

"Kai-kun...are you going home?" Her voice was still so soft.

Kai Uesugi tried to appear listless, saying, "I'm feeling a bit unwell; I guess it's from drinking too much cold water at noon."

"Are you alright?" The girl's face showed concern.

"It's alright, you'll be fine after you go back and rest for a while." Uesugi Kai smiled at her.

Hanabi Hanabi saw his smile and returned a sweet smile: "What would you like to eat tonight, Kai-kun? Hanabi can make anything."

"Let's have something spicy." Uesugi Kai zipped up his backpack.

"Doesn't Kai-kun not eat spicy food? And my stomach isn't feeling well... so I can't eat spicy food either."

"I can handle a little bit, the main thing is that Hanabi is happy," Uesugi Kai said to her as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Hanabi Hanamaru's smile was still as innocent and touching as ever: "Then Kai-kun, you must wait for Hanabi at home, okay? Hanabi will come back as soon as possible."

“Yes, I will.” Uesugi Kai nodded.

......

Before leaving, he asked her if she had done anything suspicious recently.

There was no sign of it at all.

What exactly is a crisis?

Kai Uesugi has been thinking about this question.

Just as he stepped out of the school gate, his phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the words "father-in-law" in the contact name.

He answered the phone: "Hello."

------

In the afternoon, after a busy day of classes, Hanabi Hanamaru packed her bag and prepared to go home.

"Hanabi-chan, are you going home together today?" Ayaka Rie asked, slinging her shoulder bag over her shoulder.

"No need, no need," Hanabi Hanabi waved her hand with a smile. "I'm going to the supermarket this afternoon to buy some ingredients for cooking."

"Sigh, I haven't been able to go home with you lately. We can only hang out together when we're at school."

Rie Ayaka sighed.

"Is this what happens when you're in a relationship? It feels like you're thinking about Uesugi all the time, Hanabi-chan."

"I'm sorry... Riei-chan..."

"Don't apologize, I didn't mean to blame you. You two seem quite enviable now, anyway..."

Ayaka Rie couldn't come up with a clear answer after a long time. "Never mind, I'll go back by myself first. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Hanamaru Hanabi waved to her as she turned away.

During exam week, school ended at a time that was neither too early nor too late. Hanabi Hanamaru took out her phone, lit up the screen, and glanced at the time.

5:4:3

The wallpaper was a selfie of her and him. Uesugi Kai was holding up his phone, while Hanamaru Hanabi was leaning against him, pouting and making a small scissor gesture with her cheeks rosy and cute.

Every time Hanabi Hanamaru sees this group photo, she feels a warm glow in her heart, as if she's being tightly hugged.

When she feels lost or sad, she holds her phone to her chest with her small hands and says encouraging words to herself, just like Kai-kun is by her side.

People in the classroom kept waving goodbye to her. Hanabi Hanabi sat back down in her seat and opened LINE to send him a message.

Kai-kun, are you feeling better? Do you have any medicine at home? Hanabi can take some back with her on the way.

He rested his face on his right hand and waited for a long time, but there was no response.

"Kai-kun, he's probably still sleeping and resting..."

The twilight sunlight was somewhat heavy, as if it were about to rain.

Hanabi Hanamaru quickly slung her shoulder bag over her shoulder and left the classroom.

The little shark pendant swayed on her bag as she walked briskly downstairs. After changing her shoes, she kicked her little leather shoes on the ground, trying to make them more comfortable for her feet.

Stepping out of the tidy teaching building, Hanabi Hanabi descended the marble steps, intending to first go to the supermarket on Shinjuku Street to buy some groceries.

"Little Hanabi!"

Hanabi Hanabi, carrying her shoulder bag, turned around, looked at the figure above, and laughed: "Shio-neechan, didn't you go back first?"

Uesugi Shio walked up to her, carrying a white bamboo sword bag and eating a lollipop.

She looked Hanabi up and down: "I was originally planning to go back first."

"Sister Shio, you should go back first. Hanabi still needs to go to the supermarket on Shinjuku Street."

Uesugi Shio gently twirled the lollipop stick in her right hand and said, "Akai isn't here, I'll go back with you."

She pulled out her pleated skirt pocket, "I'm out of lollipops, so I'll go to the supermarket to restock."

Hanamaru Hanabi nodded and said, "Then let's go together, Shio-neechan."

The road to Shinjuku Street is quite ordinary. People of all kinds, dressed in suits and ties, or casually dressed and flashy, pass by. The rows of beech trees on both sides of the road have thin, soft leaves.

"What has Uesugi Shio been looking at since just now?" Hanamaru Hanabi asked, noticing Uesugi Shio's hand gripping the white sword pouch tightly.

"To see if you are in any danger."

Hanabi Hanabi looked puzzled: "What danger could Hanabi possibly face?"

"Little Fireworks asked me, and I didn't know either."

Uesugi Shio's gaze swept over one middle-aged man after another, then looked back, but there wasn't a single clue. "I guess some perverted stalker saw you as cute and followed you."

Pervert... Pervert...

Hanabi Hanamaru gripped her shoulder bag tightly and whispered, "I... I don't think so..."

Uesugi Shio shook her head and smiled at the somewhat frightened girl, saying, "You can't be sure about that. I've been followed before. Girls like Hanabi, who are delicate and cute, are more likely to be targeted."

"It shouldn't be... like that..." Hanabi Hanamaru looked around nervously, like a little deer.