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

Ayaka Riki smiled and waved to Hanamaru Hanabi; her smile shone brightly at that moment.

Unfortunately, Uesugi Kai only ever saw her glare at him.

"Uesugi-kun, please don't mind. Riei-chan is just a little strong-willed; she doesn't mean you any harm."

"Well, let's go."

Hearing Hanabi's faint voice, Uesugi Kai nodded subconsciously and accompanied her on the way home.

Tokyo's streets are very narrow, with sections of fences blocking the way, leaving only enough space for three people to pass through.

Along the street, there were also many bicycles piled up outside restaurants and clothing stores, along with messy greenery and billboards, making the place feel crowded.

Sitting at a small food stall on the side of the street, orange lanterns with the words "Oden" hanging on both sides of the stall.

Kai Uesugi watched attentively as Hanabi Hanamaru ate.

Amidst the rising steam, beautiful eyes sparkled under the lights, and delicate features were tinged with a tender cherry blossom rosy hue.

The oden in front of her was still a bright red color.

Kai Uesugi always thought she was cute.

"Why can Hanabi eat so much spicy food?" He asked this question again after a long time.

"Because...it tastes so good, it makes me happy..."

Hanabi Hanamaru turned around, her eyes meeting his. Her vibrant purple eyes were especially lively. She murmured, "Thank you, Uesugi-kun..."

Kai Uesugi knew that no matter how familiar she was with him, she would still say thank you.

"How does Hanabi plan to thank Uesugi-kun?" he asked with a smile.

Hanabi lowered her head slightly, her voice still weak: "Hanabi...I'll make a bento for Uesugi-kun tomorrow..."

"Don't worry about it, I was just kidding." Uesugi Kai knew she liked to sleep in late in the morning, and making a bento box would take a lot of time.

"Um......"

Hanabi Hanabi looked distracted, her head bowed, and she didn't immediately eat the super spicy oden she had just made.

Meanwhile, Uesugi Kai has already eaten three pieces of chikuwa.

"Why aren't you eating Hanabi?" Uesugi Kai asked, noticing her unusual behavior.

Hanabi Hanamaru clutched her skirt tightly, her eyes reflecting the simmering broth on the oden, and she didn't look at him.

"Uesugi-kun... joined a club today..."

"Well, what happened?"

"N-nothing..." Hanabi hesitated for a long time before finally saying what was on her mind. She had actually seen the two people in the courtyard that morning because she had been with Ayaka Rie the whole time.

She paused, gathered her thoughts, and prepared to tell him about it: "Uesugi-kun... today... today Hanabi received a letter in the shoe cabinet."

She spoke very softly.

Uesugi Kai wasn't stupid; he knew what it was. He put down the meatball he had just picked up and asked, "Is it a love letter?"

"Um......"

What was Hanabi thinking?

"Fireworks are..."

Hanabi Hanamaru, who had just raised her head, suddenly lowered it again. She had her own thoughts, and her voice grew softer and slower: "The letter...it's very well written...Hanabi wants...want to accept...a confession..."

Kai Uesugi turned to look at her and saw her restless little hands on the hem of her skirt.

Her uneasy little hands represent the unease in her heart.

They can't even lie properly.

He didn't continue the conversation, but instead picked up an oden dish that was already in place in front of her.

The chopped scallions float in the carefully prepared broth, yet become so engrossed that they cannot escape.

Hanabi Hanabi's gaze followed the oden that was being grabbed in front of her, and she saw him holding up the bowl.

“Uesugi-kun…” She hadn’t expected him to react this way.

Kai Uesugi smiled at her delicate face and said, "It'll get cold if you don't eat now. Here, I'll feed you."

The thick heat had already filled my nostrils.

Hanabi Hanabi stared intently at his handsome face in the hazy heat, her face flushed, and she stammered, "U...Uesugi-kun, won't you mind...?"

"care."

Kai Uesugi smiled casually, then forked a soft, hot meatball and held it to her thin, cherry-red lips:

"Come on, open your mouth, just like when I fed you when you were little."

She cared... Her heart burned like the meatball in front of her mouth, and a pleasant smile slowly bloomed on Hanamaru Hanabi's face, sweet and intoxicating.

She happily agreed, "Okay."

As their eyes met, Hanamaru Hanabi opened her small mouth and gently bit into the fiery meatball that most people would find hard to accept.

The flowing broth, with its soft texture, remains within a rich and delicious flavor.

------

After crossing the street, the two stepped onto the stairs of the overpass.

"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we walked together this afternoon, hasn't it?"

“After all, Uesugi-kun hasn’t joined a club and has important studies to attend to every day,” Hanabi Hanamaru said, smoothing a strand of hair from her cheek. “Uesugi-kun has always been very hardworking.”

Learn.

When Uesugi Kai heard those two words, a strange feeling welled up in his heart. At this time in the past, he would have been sitting at his desk at home, looking at the boring textbooks and memorizing some English words that he didn't like.

His only goal right now is to make his life more comfortable, even if he's just a lazy bum.

He looked up and saw only a few people crossing the empty overpass.

"Fireworks, do you think I'm a loner?"

Hanabi Hanabi looked up at Kai Uesugi beside her, seemingly surprised that he would ask such a question.

She shook her head.

"No... Hanabi thinks Uesugi-kun is already very good. He has his own ideas and works hard to realize them, which is already amazing."

"It's just... that nobody knows..." Hanabi Hanamaru also knew that he wasn't very popular at school.

Kai Uesugi could tell that Hanabi was encouraging him, but deep down, he always felt a strange distance between himself and the people around him.

He wouldn't mind, but he wouldn't want it to be like this either.

Humans are social animals. Even the most reclusive person will seek some sense of belonging more or less through mobile phones and social networks.

"After a year in Shin-kyo High School, I only had Goto and Tsubokawa as friends. The rest of my classmates were like strangers. I knew that in their eyes I was just a good student who was a 'loser'."

Kai Uesugi looked to the side. The afterglow of the Tokyo sunset and the busy traffic on the streets told the story of the city's hustle and bustle. Below the fiery red clouds were towering buildings, which, although they reflected some color, did not show any warmth.

They are all moving in their own direction, even though it was predetermined.

He then recalled his past life, where he was like a robot.

Going to work, coming home, and then returning to my empty, cheap rented room, eating takeout for a few dollars, playing mindless games, and repeating this cycle.

I can't find the motivation to move forward, and I can't find a purpose in life.

Apart from his increasingly haggard appearance, nothing has changed.

"Hanabi, should I change myself?"

“Uesugi-kun…”

Hanabi Hanamaru kept her head down, holding her handbag draped over her waist, her eyes sparkling with a lively light.

"From a young age, Hanabi knew that Uesugi-kun was very different from everyone else. Uesugi-kun could always easily deal with the things that troubled everyone, although everyone didn't take it to heart."

While everyone else was playing, Uesugi-kun was always working hard behind the scenes, but everyone thought it was Uesugi-kun's talent...

"Hanabi has always admired Uesugi-kun's strong willpower, and Hanabi also greatly respects Uesugi-kun's hard work. In my eyes, Uesugi-kun has always been a very mature and reliable person!"

Hanabi's firm voice and her soft tone created a wonderful contrast.

Uesugi Kai didn't expect to be so highly regarded in her eyes; she just didn't want to get involved with them pointlessly.

However, these words still made him smile and express his gratitude:

"Thank you."

"Uh-huh,"

Upon hearing this, Hanabi Hanabi simply smiled and shook her head.

"Hanabi knows that Uesugi-kun sometimes seems lonely, but please don't force yourself. Just be yourself no matter what, and whatever you are, you are the best version of yourself."

Hanabi Hanamaru suddenly looked up, and in the afterglow of the setting sun, she revealed a radiant smile:

"If Uesugi-kun feels lonely, Hanabi, Hanabi will always be by Uesugi-kun's side."

Kai Uesugi stopped in his tracks, looking at the radiant smile on the girl's face beside him. The sunlight shimmered and danced on her cheeks, making her look both dreamlike and real.

He smiled and said to her:

"Come on, go home."

###Chapter Twenty-Two: A New Day, What a Coincidence!###

April 2nd,

The sky was as clear as it had been yesterday.

beep... beep...

Kai Uesugi opened her eyes in bed and picked up her phone from the bedside table.

"Here's a 30 yen gift for you. Click the link below to claim it!"

30 yen...