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

Kai Uesugi couldn't stand seeing girls like this, because their dejected state reminded him of Hanabi from before.

He softened his tone slightly:

"The problem isn't you. That's just how I talk. Sorry."

After saying that, he got up and walked away.

The leaves rustled overhead as Kitagawa Sakakisa turned around, her skirt shimmering with girlish colors.

"Thank you for the 2000 yen."

The sound grew fainter and fainter as his figure receded into the distance.

"Although I didn't use it..."

--------

From that day on, it started to rain.

The sports festival was also postponed.

This is weather that wasn't predicted in the weather forecast.

The rain had been going on for three days, and Hanabi caught a cold on the second night, which happened to be the night the health-protecting medicine wore off.

Kai Uesugi squatted by her bedside with the medicine in his hand, watching her struggle to breathe through her mouth.

Her breathing was labored, gasping for air.

I also felt a bit annoyed by the continuous drizzle outside.

A glance at the clock showed it was already lunchtime.

"Kai-kun..."

Kai Uesugi moved closer to her.

Hanabi Hanamaru's usually cute face looked very uncomfortable, and her cheeks were abnormally flushed.

Her brows were furrowed, her eyes tightly shut, and her weak voice carried a deep pain:

"Kai-kun, Kai-kun... can you tell Hanabi... what... what did Hanabi do wrong...?"

The rain, falling from the heavy clouds in the sky, seemed to be dripping onto her feverish forehead, leaving her hair damp.

Did you have a dream?

The slight improvement in the past few days will likely be jeopardized again by this illness.

Uesugi Kai didn't want to watch her have this painful dream, so he gently shook her and called her name:

"Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi—"

Hanabi Hanamaru reacted, her brows furrowing several times before she finally managed to open her blurry eyes.

Everything was blurry in my drowsy mind.

The sound of rain filled my ears, and tears welled up in my eyes.

It took Hanabi a long time to realize she was in her own room after emerging from the dream.

The first thing that catches the eye is his familiar face.

Hanabi Hanabira's violet eyes gradually regained their shine, and she reached out her weak little hand to him:

"Kai-kun..."

Kai Uesugi took her small, hot, and delicate hand in his.

"Did you have a dream? You're still crying."

Hanabi Hanabi didn't want him to worry, so she said in a feverish voice, "N-no, it's nothing... I'm just a little hot..."

"You're talking nonsense even though you have a cold." Uesugi Kai could feel her small hand leaning against him, soft and delicate. "Have you forgotten what I told you before?"

"Hmm..." Hanabi Hanamaru nodded slightly, her voice deep and nasal. "Hanabi is Kai-kun's fiancée... I can't keep everything to myself."

The bitter herbal medicine was steaming and releasing heat on the side.

"So if Hanabi is feeling down, remember to tell me. Keeping it inside isn't good for you."

Kai Uesugi picked up the bitter-smelling herbal medicine from the side and said, "Hanabi is already weak enough. For her, being happy is the most important thing."

Hanabi Hanamaru, seeing the spoon being offered to her mouth, said apologetically to him:

"I'm sorry... Hanabi made Kai-kun worry again..."

"And you're still being so polite to me."

Uesugi Kai fed her the herbal medicine spoonful by spoonful.

Is it bitter?

"A little..."

"After all, it's a traditional Chinese medicine, so it's normal for it to be bitter."

"Would you like some candy?"

"Kai-kun..."

Seeing that she didn't want to eat, Uesugi Kai smiled and said, "Don't you want to be treated like a little girl anymore?"

Hanamaru Hanabi nodded.

"What's the big deal? You're the real little girl if you think eating a piece of candy makes you a little girl."

Kai Uesugi handed over the unwrapped candy again.

"Sometimes I really feel like you're not 15 years old."

Hanabi Hanamaru gently took the candy he offered with her cherry lips.

"Kai-kun...do you not like it?"

“No,” Kai Uesugi shook his head, “Hanabi’s personality is just like that, weak to the point of being fragile, which is why she does some things that are particularly like a child.”

"I don't dislike it, so don't force yourself to change it."

Hanabi Hanamaru felt much better after hearing his voice.

"Kai-kun...let's go back first..."

"You're going to dislike me after I finish my medicine and candy?"

"N-No, Kai-kun, Hanabi was just...cough...cough..."

Hanabi Hanamaru was so excited that her nose became blocked and she couldn't breathe, which led to two coughs. Her flushed face was filled with discomfort.

Seeing how upset she was, Uesugi Kai realized he shouldn't have upset her like that: "I'm sorry."

With a towel on her forehead, Hanabi continued what she had just said:

"It's just that Hanabi has caught a cold... If Kai-kun stays here... he might catch it from her, so Kai-kun should go back first..."

Kai Uesugi smiled and said, "It's fine if we catch a cold together."

"Why do you say that, Kai-kun...?"

"Isn't it nice to be with fireworks?"

"Kai-kun, let's go back..."

"Don't worry."

"But......"

Uesugi Kai removed the towel from her forehead, wrung it out in the basin of cold water, and reapplied it to her.

"If I catch a cold, you can take care of me, right? Hanabi won't mind, will she?"

"No, no, the fireworks will always, always..."

"Always what?" Uesugi Kai asked.

"I've always liked Kai-kun..." Hanabi Hanamaru said shyly, uttering the words.

“Yes, I know,” Uesugi Kai smiled. “As a reward for liking Kai-kun, Hanabi can tell me if there’s anything that’s bothering her.”

"abdomen....."

The sound was so faint that even Uesugi couldn't hear it.

"what?"

Her face was so red that it was impossible to tell whether it was due to a fever.

"My tummy... rub it..."

Kai Uesugi understood what she meant from her shy expression.

"It's only the middle of the month, isn't it usually the end of the month?"

"Fireworks... I don't know either..."

The light rain outside tapped against the doors and windows, its gentle patter filling the air and making everything around feel warm.

The palm slowly rotated back and forth, revealing the girl's soft, fleshy belly, which remained as delicate and smooth as ever.

###Chapter 190 The misty rain brings fresh air###

----------

The rain still filled the sky.

Hanabi Hanamaru's condition improved quickly, but she still had to stay at home.

Every time Uesugi Kai visited her, she would stare blankly at the gray sky outside the window.

This cold, gray color made Uesugi Kai feel as if she were about to disappear.

It's just a cold, so why do I feel this way?

Perhaps it's because she hasn't been smiling much these past few days.

In the drizzling rain, Uesugi Kai, carrying a plastic bag full of desserts, unlocked the door to Hanamaru's house.