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

###Chapter 182 The July Sports Festival (3)###

The referee, with a red whistle hanging around his neck, raised his rifle, and the dozen or so female athletes on the track started standing up.

"On your marks—ready—3! 2! 1!"

boom!

"run!"

"Go go go!!"

Hanabi... is a very useless person...

I've been hated since a very, very long time ago.

Everyone says that Hanabi always seems weak and timid, doesn't like to talk, and is very dull, making her very annoying to stand next to.

It's superfluous at any time.

Why are you squatting here?

This was the first thing Kai-kun said to Hanabi many days after they met.

The little girl, huddled in the corner clutching her ball, lowered her head, offering no response and refusing to look at him.

She simply curled her small body up even tighter, revealing red marks on her forehead.

"It seems like nobody likes you."

He looked her over.

"Yeah, she's not very good-looking. She's a bit chubby, and the color of her eyes is weird."

Upon hearing his words, the little girl buried her head even deeper and lower, covering her face and eyes with the ball.

Children of similar age were playing in the park not far away, with the slide being the most popular. When they landed from a height along the smooth path, it was full of childhood joy and laughter.

Despite her ignorance, she knew she was unpopular.

The injury on his forehead was from being hit on the forehead by a ball by the boy who was standing the tallest on the slide and laughing the most.

What was unusual was that she didn't immediately burst into tears as she usually does.

Instead, he stood alone, head bowed, silently sobbing as he watched the red ball roll to a stop at his feet.

She just wanted to find a friend to hang out with.

"Speaking of which, you've been living next door to me for eleven days now, haven't you?"

"I'm also a little curious. Every time your mother brings you to visit my house, you're always holding a plush toy. Do you like sharks?"

The little girl did not respond to his two consecutive questions; she simply covered her face in front of him.

Kai Uesugi reached out, wanting to put his hand on her small shoulder.

"No! Don't touch the fireworks!" The little girl kept avoiding his hand, pressing her body against the cold crack in the wall.

Finally, when there seemed to be no more space, she raised the ball with both hands to block it.

Her voice was very soft and quiet; for someone her age, it wasn't considered pleasant.

Kai Uesugi withdrew his hand, which had been dodged, and sat down beside her.

"We are neighbors. Do you know what a neighbor is?"

"..."

"It doesn't matter if you don't know. Just know that if you take two steps out of the door of your new house, turn left, and see a pot of white lilies, that's my home."

Time passed little by little.

Kai Uesugi waited patiently for her response, but after a long time, he still didn't hear her voice.

He was about to continue speaking when that unpleasant, thin voice came from inside the ball:

"What does a lily look like?"

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but smile at her:

"What does it look like? If you really want me to describe it, it's hard to say. In short, it's a very clean white, with occasional yellow stamens and green leaves."

"If you want to grow a potted plant, there are actually a lot of troubles involved."

Seeing that she was still unwilling to respond further, he continued talking at length.

From the moment I bought this flower, planted it, and accidentally cut the stem while pruning the leaves, almost causing it to wither and die... all the way to its quiet blooming last night.

The little girl hid behind the ball, listening to his impressive-sounding words, which she couldn't understand.

"Anyway, you'll see it when you get home."

The little girl stole a glance at him, noticed his smile, and quickly covered her less-than-attractive face.

"Kai... Kai-kun, don't you dislike fireworks?"

"Do you know my name?"

The little girl had no confidence in her voice, so she only made a short, nasal sound:

"Ah."

What she really meant was that she could remember the names of every classmate.

Her mother told her that the most important thing in making friends is to remember their names.

But even after she diligently memorized the class roster, no one was willing to approach her.

Whether it's Natsumi-chan, Tomoki-chan, Murina-chan, Risa-chan, Taito-kun, Toshiharu-kun, Chinobu-kun, or Kensaku-kun, they're all the same.

The little girl, huddled in the corner, hugged the ball tightly and said dejectedly:

"Kai, Kai-kun, please stay away from Hanabi. Hanabi cries a lot, has an awful voice, and isn't good-looking... Being around Hanabi will only make everyone dislike you..."

"Shhh."

Kai Uesugi smiled and put his index finger to his lips. "Although you're a little clumsy, you remembered to come to my house to see the flowers this afternoon."

"This is Hanabi and Kai-kun's first promise, understand?"

His smile, his voice—these were things Hanabi had never encountered before.

Even though they had only exchanged a few words, he felt a sense of security with her.

Aside from her parents, this was the first time Hanabi had ever felt warmth.

So, Hanabi... has always wanted to change herself.

"Go for it! Go for it!"

"Hn-chan, hang in there!"

"Hn! Hn! Hn!"

The scorching wind howled past my ears, and everything in my field of vision was distorted and deformed under the blazing heat.

The shouts of encouragement kept coming from all around me, but my extremely tired mind couldn't hear a single word.

"Hu-hu-"

My pace slowed down, and my unsteady ankles could hardly withstand the impact of my sneakers hitting the ground.

The senior students in front of me are getting further and further away.

The intense pain, called discomfort, pounded against my brain, and the glare from the lack of oxygen cast a bizarre, double-image effect on everything.

Hanabi hates herself.

Just like that person said, it's never been of any use.

Kai looks very cool in the competition. He can win first place among very strong people and win a lot of prize money.

Hanabi knows that many girls have liked him since a very young age.

Some of them were outstanding, some were very cheerful, and they were prettier than the fireworks girls back then.

Fireworks, on the other hand, can only do some trivial things.

Hanabi has always been working hard and has always wanted to change herself.

Hanabi... doesn't want Kai-nii to dislike her...

People kept surpassing her, and in the blink of an eye, she went from second to fifth.

So many days of hard work...

Fireworks... still so useless...

"Hn! Hn! Hn!"

The members of the Fireworks Fan Club chanted her nickname in unison.

Under the large banner, a group of people were waving and cheering.

Encouraged by everyone, Hanabi gritted her teeth and kept up with the pace of the person in front of her.

Acting Chairman Takahiro Tsubokawa, wearing a headscarf with the words "Third Generation" written on it, stood under the banner.

Behind him were these guys from the fan club.

"President! Why aren't you calling out?"

"Go away, mind your own business."

"President! Hn-chan seems to be feeling unwell right now, her face is so red."

Takahiro Tsubokawa looked towards the track, where athletes from all five schools were competing. He adjusted his glasses and said:

"They're running too fast up there. How can Hanamaru keep up with the pace of the Hayaka track and field ace?"

"President, why don't you call yourself Hn-chan?"

"That's not the point," Tsubokawa, the third generation headband fluttering in the wind, said as he turned to them.

"Exactly, those long, dark legs look amazing. Hn is pushing himself too hard; he's even having trouble maintaining his speed now."

"Why don't we give up?"