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

Another scam text message...

Kai Uesugi didn't know what to say when he saw this.

Other people's scams involve hundreds of millions, billions, or even tens of billions of dollars, so why is this one so small? It can't even buy a potato.

Is he honest or stupid?

"Or...is it possible...that it's true?"

Driven by a thirst for knowledge, a desire to explore, and a curiosity to drive significant progress in human society, coupled with the thought that 30 yen was too good to pass up, Uesugi Kai clicked on the link.

As the circle in the upper left corner rotated, a strange website appeared.

"Are you sure you want to claim it?"

Kai Uesugi selected 'Confirm'.

A large notification box suddenly appeared in the middle.

"Important Notice!! Important Notice!! You have confirmed that you have signed a contract with this website. The monthly package tax is 30 yen. Please pay the tax to the government today. The contract will be delivered to your home. Please check your mail!!"

Upon seeing this, Uesugi Kai immediately closed the website.

This is a typical intimidation scam that exploits people's fear. The next step is usually to get someone to pay a "contract termination fee," and then the scammers terminate a contract that never existed.

That's ridiculous. Who would believe that?

After tidying her clothes and washing up, Uesugi Kai went downstairs.

"Good morning."

"Ah."

In the living room, Kenichi Uesugi sat in a chair, sipping his morning tea, nodding, and flipping through the laptop in front of him.

He is Kai Uesugi's father, Kenichi Uesugi.

His job is front-end web development, which means he is responsible for the pages, HTML, CSS code, etc. of various web pages. Most of the time, you can see him holding a laptop, typing away at some unfamiliar English words.

He was no exception; at 36 years old, his hair was already starting to show signs of thinning.

A receding hairline is a nightmare for every man approaching middle age, let alone for someone in a profession that causes hair loss.

So Uesugi Kai learned his lesson and decided not to study science but humanities, becoming a teacher or professor, which would be much better than this kind of job where he works overtime every day.

"Oh, right,"

Kenichi Uesugi glanced at Kai Uesugi, who had just sat down across the table.

"I've been getting a lot of strange text messages lately, you must have received some too, right?"

Kai Uesugi glanced at his mother bustling in the kitchen, took a sip of his morning milk, and said:

"Yes, I received it. It was a scam text message, I know that."

"Okay, that's good."

Kenichi Uesugi leaned back on the stool, his formal suit giving him a somewhat languid air.

"If you see them, it's best not to click on them. They're all phishing websites. You might unknowingly download some bundled software and have your user information read. These things are really annoying, collecting and selling other people's personal data everywhere."

At this point, Kenichi Uesugi sighed:

"In this era, traffic equals money."

"What are you saying so early in the morning?" Noriko Uesugi sat down next to him, carrying a plate.

The Uesugi family's breakfasts tend to be more Western-style: a glass of milk, two fried eggs, and a few slices of bread, emphasizing simplicity.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered my job."

Kenichi Uesugi shook his head slightly, putting those unpleasant things behind him. He looked at Kai Uesugi in front of him, remembered something, and asked:

"Hey kid, you're already a sophomore in high school, how's your talk with Hanabi from next door going?"

"What can you do?"

Kai Uesugi casually countered with a question.

"Hmm?" Kenichi Uesugi frowned. "Don't you like Hanabi?"

"No."

"Then why haven't you two finalized your relationship yet?"

"I just think it's too fast."

Kenichi Uesugi ignored Kai Uesugi's explanation: "You're shy and don't want to confess first? Even so, you can't let a girl confess to you. That's too unmanly."

"..."

Kai Uesugi remained silent and continued eating his breakfast.

Sitting opposite her, Noriko Uesugi smiled and chimed in:

"Yes, when your father was pursuing me, he just kept pursuing me relentlessly. I got a little annoyed by him and thought I might as well agree to be with him. I never expected that I would end up spending my whole life with him like this. I regret it so much."

Kenichi Uesugi felt a strange sense of pride when he recalled this. "That's right. Back then, your mother was a famous beauty in school. I spent all my money and came up with all sorts of ways to wait for her outside the classroom. I also wrote her love letters and haiku every day and put them in her shoe cabinet."

Noriko Uesugi laughed and joked, "That's why I say, annoying."

Kenichi Uesugi became increasingly excited as he spoke:

"These are your father's winning formula. Some of these things are still kept. How about you take a look and learn from them? I guarantee it will help you win over that girl next door, Hanabi."

"..."

Kai Uesugi was speechless.

Is this what they call Showa men of that era?

Even when pursuing someone, he's full of energy and shameless—something unimaginable in modern times. People born in the Heisei era like him should stay out of it.

"Times have changed, Father. If you did that Showa-era approach now, the girl would just tell the police, and then they would arrest you for harassment and detain you for ten days or half a month."

It made some sense, but Uesugi Kai's words didn't fool Uesugi Kenichi, who was well aware of the Hanamaru family's attitude next door.

"Hmph, stop making excuses. You and Hanabi grew up together since you were little, and she follows you around every day. I guarantee that as long as you ask, there will be absolutely no problem."

......

The early morning air is always fresh, and going out at this time always gives the mind a sense of lightness.

Of course, this is assuming you get enough sleep.

After finally escaping her parents' entanglement, Uesugi Kai arrived at the door of Hanabi's house next door.

But this time, he hesitated to ring the doorbell.

He wondered... what exactly were her thoughts about Hanabi?

Years of companionship and growth have allowed Uesugi Kai to understand the meaning of childhood sweethearts in this lifetime.

His feelings for Hanabi Hanamaru were complicated; the image of that timid little girl who had always followed him around was still haunting him.

She always liked to follow behind him, calling out "Brother Zai" in her weak voice.

Going to school, leaving school, playing, shopping.

He always regarded her as a younger sister.

Cute, well-behaved, obedient, and lovable.

In his mind, throughout the many times he spent with fireworks, that smile always touched him, giving him a warm and reassuring feeling.

Click...

The door rang, and Hanabi Hanabi, carrying a satchel, opened the door and was surprised to see Kai Uesugi standing stiffly in the doorway.

"Uesugi-kun?"

She looked puzzled and asked with concern:

"What happened to Uesugi-kun? Are you alright?"

"fine,"

Kai Uesugi forced a smile, but it still looked somewhat stiff.

"I was just surprised that you came out just as I was about to ring the doorbell."

"Uh-huh,"

Hanabi Hanabi completely believed Uesugi Kai's words and gave him a cute smile after hearing them.

"Hanabi was just about to go to Uesugi-kun's house, and Uesugi-kun just happened to come here. What a coincidence."

Chapter Twenty-Three: Haneda Nozomi###

Upon arriving at school, Uesugi Kai sat in her seat, waiting for the morning assembly to begin before class each day.

At this time, he always habitually looks out the window next to him.

On a wide road, you can see rows and rows of cute little yellow hats passing by.

With a short, chubby body and a round face, carrying one red schoolbag after another, he skipped and hopped along slowly, following the directions of the police officer in front of him.

This reminded him of when he was also a member of this group more than ten years ago.

Just because they didn't like running around, the teacher called them to the front to lead the way. A few students with childish voices complained to the teacher that it was unfair, since they were supposed to be in the first row.

Only children would fuss over something like this.

But that's precisely why childhood memories bring a smile to our faces.

"Hey, Uesugi, good morning."

"Hmm, good morning." Uesugi Kai turned around and answered Goto Iwakatsu.

"I didn't expect you to actually get my LINE account for me yesterday. I thought you were just kidding me." Goto plopped down in his seat.

"I didn't intend to take it; it was offered to me by someone else."

"The process doesn't matter, as long as the result is right. I even talked with her all night last night."

"Just don't make me step in again."