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

Great Shark: "Idiot! Of course it's drawing!"

"But she never told me any of this."

Big Shark: "Just because she hasn't said it doesn't mean it doesn't exist! You know, she insists on drawing every day."

"But I don't think that's the case. When I was little, she gave me a painting... I can't remember..."

Big Shark: "Don't think about it if you can't remember! It's only three years, it will pass quickly."

"Three years, is that fast?"

Kai Uesugi put down the shark, stared at the ceiling, and rested his arm across his closed eyes.

A hazy drowsiness gradually enveloped my confused mind.

......

"Brother Kai... We had a drawing class today, but Hanabi's drawing was terrible, and everyone was laughing at her."

"Are they good at drawing?"

"N-No...everyone's drawings are pretty much the same as Hanabi's..."

"Then why don't you just not draw it?"

"But... Kai-nii... that was an assignment given by the teacher..."

"Hmm—how about this, you draw one picture every day, no matter what, just try your best. When you feel that you have drawn the most beautiful version of what you envisioned, then show it to me, okay?"

"N-no problem...but Kai-nii, you won't hate Hanabi's drawing, will you?"

Kai Uesugi sighed helplessly at the little girl tugging at his clothes beside him and said:

"Don't worry, even if you're not studying at the same school as me now, I won't dislike you."

"So...it's settled then...?"

"Hmm," Uesugi Kai replied casually.

"Hanabi...I really want to go to school with Kai-nii..."

There will be an opportunity...

"How about Daddy brings Kai-nii over here?"

"We'll talk about it later."

The little girl simply gripped his clothes tightly with her chubby hands, her head bowed.

......

For some reason, Uesugi Kai suddenly recalled this almost forgotten scene and abruptly opened his eyes.

"painting."

He quickly got up, went outside, and ran to the storage room to find a box that had been gathering dust for a long time.

###Chapter 227 Finding True Dreams###

The storage room on the third floor was covered in dust, and the sounds of things being rummaged through could be heard from time to time.

Several dusty cardboard boxes had been opened and placed aside.

Mops, brooms, vacuum cleaners, garment steamers, appliance repair tools... are all piled up here.

Only a rectangular window above the storage room let in dim light, which shone on the person rummaging through the drawers and cabinets.

Because it was so close to overhead, the sound of the rain was much louder, with fine, continuous patter filling the air.

"Cough cough."

Kai Uesugi fanned away the visible dust in front of him with his hand, then turned his head away and squinted.

Then he bent down and carried the small box with the character "櫂" written on it out of the pile of miscellaneous items.

Using the dim light from the rain outside the window, he opened the cardboard box.

It mostly contains things related to childhood memories, rather than merchandise from anime and manga like "Cardcaptor Sakura" or "Dragon Ball".

Instead, it consisted of some textbooks from his childhood, kendama that his father bought but which he never played with, and some books that he didn't particularly like reading.

Of all the gifts, the most were handmade ones from Xiaohuahuo.

Paper chili peppers, sharks, two little figures holding hands, New Year's greetings, and birthday cards... are all neatly stored in this box...

Each one represents a moment of growth as childhood sweethearts.

Seeing these things, the image of the frail little girl carefully holding and handing them over immediately came to mind.

This is... for... for Kai-nii...

Kai Uesugi continued rummaging through the box, but he couldn't quite remember anything about the painting.

But he knew that it was the first painting she had ever given him.

He continued his search, and many things were filtered out.

......

"It's not in this box."

......

Entrance hall.

The door lock showed signs of turning.

A snap.

Outside the door, Uesugi Shio, carrying a plastic bag, put the keys back in her pocket and folded up her rain-soaked umbrella.

Upon entering, she placed the umbrella in the umbrella holder against the wall, put on her slippers, and went inside.

Standing at the top of the stairs, looking up at the light above, he shouted:

"Ah-Zhao, come down and eat your lunch."

"..."

"..."

no respond.

Uesugi Shio called out a few more times, and when she found there was still no response, she put down the plastic bag containing the bento box and drinks and went over.

“Ah-Zhao”.

There was no one in the room.

"Ah-Zhao?"

"棹?"

Uesugi Shio followed a small ladder and saw Uesugi Kai, covered in dust, coming down from the attic.

He immediately asked, "Ah-Zhao, what were you doing in the storeroom?"

"Looking for something."

"Didn't find it?" Uesugi Shio asked, seeing that his hands were empty.

"No."

Uesugi Kai seemed to be in a hurry, quickly put away the ladder and ran to the washroom to wash his hands.

"Are you going to eat dinner or not?" Uesugi Shio asked from the doorway, her hair still damp with raindrops.

"Yes, but it'll have to wait a bit. Could you please heat up my bento box, Sister Xi?" He shook his hands, which he had just washed, and looked at himself in the mirror.

Uesugi Shio was curious about his anxious look. "Heating up the bento is no problem, but what are you looking for?"

“A gift,” Uesugi Kai said, turning off the light in the washroom and stepping out. “A gift from Hanabi.”

"Gift?"

Uesugi Shio's gaze followed him. "Shouldn't gifts be stored in a special box? Why are you looking for them in the storeroom?"

Why are the gifts in the storage room?

Upon hearing her cousin's ordinary tone, Uesugi Kai froze on the spot.

Why... does she keep looking for the gifts she gave me in the storage room...?

Suddenly, the image of the little girl's worried expression when she gave me the gift flashed through my mind again.

The little girl looked on with great delight as she received her gifts.

"..."

The air fell silent for a few seconds.

"It was my fault..."

He went to his room.

Uesugi Shio glanced at his somewhat bewildered back, paused for a moment, then went downstairs to the kitchen to heat up the bento she had just bought.

......

Shinjuku Police Station, Chief's Office.

Behind the desk, through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window, one can see several high-rise buildings in Tokyo, with rain covering the entire city.

Hiroki Hanamaru, sitting in a leather armchair, was listening to a report brought by his subordinate.

"Is Kitagawa going to venture into the underground idol industry?"

"Chief Inspector, could this be a way for them to increase the number of people they need? The Kitagawa Association controls the sex industry all over the country."

“It’s not that we can’t rule out that possibility,” Hanamaru Hiroki pondered for a moment. “Here’s what we’ll do: go and call Suzuki over. I have some work to give him.”

"Officer Suzuki? Okay, okay, I understand."

"Go down."

"I'll take my leave now, Superintendent."