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

But from the fragments of words that were just revealed, he could also deduce that his grandfather had a very deep affection for his great-aunt.

Tomb sweeping doesn't actually require too many steps; sweeping, receiving water, offering flowers, paying respects, and making offerings are all that's needed.

The flowers given can be those that the ancestors liked.

However, attention should be paid to details, such as removing thorns from rose bushes.

For example, spider lilies and daffodils are poisonous plants and are not suitable for tomb sweeping.

Compared to her own father, Grandpa Uesugi valued the things he gave her much more.

Whether it's the carefully selected camellias or the morning meal prepared by hand, it's all done with care.

"Another year has passed." Grandpa Uesugi sighed softly as he looked at the eulogy on the stone tablet.

"Disheartened?" Old Mrs. Uesugi lowered her hands from behind her prayer position and said slowly.

"To say there isn't one would be a lie."

Grandpa Uesugi's once handsome face was now covered in wrinkles. "I can still vividly remember when I met you, Takako, and now... hahaha, all my hair has turned white."

Speaking of that summer festival, Grandma Uesugi couldn't help but smile, her kind and gentle face beaming with joy.

"Old man, the only thing that hasn't changed in all these decades is your stubbornness. Even at seventy or eighty, you're still thinking about going against those guys."

"I should thank myself for my bad temper!"

"There's nothing commendable about your temper."

"At least it made me try my best to catch goldfish there."

Memories are always tinged with the colors of black and white photographs, but the colors of the day we first met are the ones that never fade.

“Back then… Rina was still around, wasn’t she…” said Mrs. Uesugi.

"Yes, they're all still here, they're all still here, they're all still here... they're all still here..." Grandpa Uesugi, with his gray hair, kept muttering to himself as he looked at his mother's grave.

As people get older, they tend to reminisce about the past because they can already see the end of the road ahead.

All that's left is the memory of the people and things that have passed away.

Grandpa and Grandma kept chatting, seemingly wanting to spend some more time alone in the cemetery.

Uesugi Shioya stood alone in front of a tombstone, silent.

Kai Uesugi and Hanabi Hanabi walked over and saw that the stone tablet read "Grave of Chikako Uesugi".

"Speaking of which, my mother's death is somewhat related to me," Uesugi Shio said to the two people behind her, her voice normal, but without the previous languidness.

“Didn’t my aunt die of illness?” Uesugi Kai said.

“She died of illness, but she never stopped taking her medication every day since I was born.” Uesugi Shio said these words calmly. “In other words, my birth further aggravated her condition, which eventually led to the tragedy of my mother drowning herself.”

"Ah-Zhao, Little Firework, I'm so sorry for what my father caused the other day."

"No, don't say that. Shio-neechan and us..." Hanabi Hanamaru glanced at Kai Uesugi furtively, "Aren't Shio-neechan and us family?"

"Ah."

After a moment, Uesugi Shio only gave a reply and then remained silent.

Hanabi could tell that her cousin was in a bad mood lately, and she really wanted to help this older sister who had taken good care of her since childhood.

But she herself is a fifteen-year-old girl with a mental illness since childhood, so she doesn't know how to comfort her about these things.

--------

August 13th is the Ghost Festival.

Although this is the grandest festival besides the New Year, Uesugi Kai couldn't feel happy at all.

Looking up at the misty rain falling from the sky, I felt incredibly melancholy.

"Are you sure... you want to leave?" he asked, turning his head.

Hanabi Hanabi, who was tidying up the clothes the two of them had worn the day before, paused, her delicate face looking at him: "If... Kai-kun doesn't want Hanabi to go... then Hanabi won't go..."

Girls are always like this; they've always listened to you since they were little.

Even for the most important decisions, she would follow her own advice and make changes.

Kai Uesugi didn't want to affect her.

"Hanabi."

"Mmm..." came a weak reply.

What if we don't go to the same university after graduation?

"Fireworks...support Kai-kun's dream..."

"I want to study together with you."

"Hanabi's grades... she won't get into the University of Tokyo..." The girl's voice was weak.

“I’ll go to your place to study.”

“But…” Hanabi Hanabi looked up at him again, “Kai-kun… there’s no need to give up such good conditions for Hanabi…”

"If Kai-kun does that, Hanabi... will feel even worse..."

The girl didn't want to hold him back because of her own incompetence, as he had a brighter future. Sometimes, her greatest wish was simply to support him from behind.

Just like the kendo and archery competitions he participated in, even though she didn't understand them at all, she would still bring him a thermos with ice in it that morning and hand it to him as soon as he finished his break.

I will not miss a single one.

###Chapter 217 Play and Choices###

"Today is Obon, how about we go to Dogo Onsen for a visit?"

At Mrs. Hanamaru's suggestion, the matter was decided happily.

On tram number 5 behind JR Matsuyama Station, there were many more young men and women wearing yukatas.

Kai Uesugi and Hanabi Hanabi were still sitting together, but they were much quieter this time than they used to talk endlessly.

As the tram swayed, he naturally took her small hand in his.

The comforting and delicate touch of the young girl's hands, the warmth emanating from her palms, is still so familiar.

"Kai-kun..."

"Mm," Uesugi Kai replied.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Hanamaru Hanabi didn't continue the conversation.

The train carriage swayed and rocked.

Sunlight filtering through the towering buildings gently falls on the car window after the rain, and the stray raindrops reflect a crystal-clear luster.

"Why... are you not saying anything again?" Uesugi Kai didn't look at her face, but simply held her hand tighter.

Dressed in a pure white dress and wearing a small round hat, Hanamaru Hanabi on the tram looked clean and ethereal.

She lowered her head slightly, staring at her legs peeking out from under her white dress, and said:

"Kai-kun... if you don't want Hanabi to leave, Hanabi won't leave..."

"..."

"But isn't this a great opportunity for Hanabi?" Uesugi Kai thought to himself, "Most people don't have such a good career path... Whether it's painting, which Hanabi loves, or the university she attends, it will be excellent for her."

"If I interfere too much, it will be a constraint for you, Hanabi."

The scenery outside the car window gradually receded into the distance.

The roar of planes flying over the international airport was deafening.

Soon after, she too will take one of those planes, disappearing into the distance after leaving a straight trail of clouds.

Even now, sitting on the train, Kai Uesugi can imagine her on the plane, separated by the glass, wearing a clean white dress, embarking on a long journey alone to a foreign land.

The journey from JR Matsuyama Station to Dogo Onsen on tram number 5 takes only 30 minutes, and the number of tourists increases steadily during that time.

Dogo Onsen is a famous tourist destination in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku, and is located in the main tourist center of Matsuyama City.

Today being the Obon festival, the area is bustling with activity. Many shops are decorated in a style reminiscent of the Edo period, creating unique attractions for both domestic and international tourists.

On this retro-style street, you can occasionally see rickshaws and a short railway train passing by.

Because of the movie "Young Master", this retro train with only one carriage is very famous here.

A ride around costs 800 yen.

"I've been here several times, but I don't think I've ever experienced a rickshaw before?" Mrs. Hanamaru, carrying a handbag, smiled like a young girl as she looked at the few unattended rickshaws across the street.

The sign next to the car reads:

10 minutes / 1500 yen

20 minutes/2200 yen

30 minutes / 3000 yen

“It’s a bit too expensive,” Mrs. Uesugi said, glancing over there as well. She had always thought that rickshaws were boring. “If you ask me, it would be better to take a ride on the seaside tram. The feeling of speeding along the coastline is quite nice.”

"The experience is what matters most when traveling. It doesn't matter how much money you spend. You can take the tram along the beach every day if you want."

Mrs. Hanamaru smiled and took her best friend's arm, trying to pull her to sit down.

"Are you really going?" Mrs. Uesugi tried to get help from Uesugi Kai and Hanabi beside her with her eyes.

"Go ahead, rickshaw pullers are definitely not just pulling carts, they must be very good as tour guides here, we can ask them to recommend good restaurants in the area."

Mrs. Hanamaru quickly said that, then turned to ask, "Is Xiaoxi going?"

"I?"

Uesugi Shio, who had been staring at the strange clock in the street, snapped out of her reverie, munching on a lollipop, and said, "I guess I'll pass."

"You absolutely have to go! My treat."

"..."