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

Mrs. Margaret glanced at the expression on his face, then at the flawless lily.

Although they hadn't known each other for long, she always felt that Hanabi Hanamaru was as beautiful as a pure white lily.

"You've known each other for so long, you must have a lot of stories to tell?" Mrs. Margaret asked with a smile.

Kai Uesugi said in a normal tone, "The story is short and mundane, but I feel that no one will care about me like she did."

“During the time I was away, I always felt like there was a piece missing from my heart. Every night when I went to sleep, I would think of her smiling face under the cherry blossom tree and her soft voice calling my name.”

"This feeling... is something I've never experienced before..."

Seeing his eyes fixed intently on the lily, the white-haired Mrs. Margaret smiled:

"It's wonderful. I can even feel those feelings from those decades through you."

Uesugi Kai turned his head back: "Speaking of which, why haven't I seen your husband and children, Madam?"

"He has passed away."

Mrs. Margaret smiled nonchalantly and said, "We don't have any children either."

"More than anything, it's not a matter of having the chance. I used to have adenomyosis, which is a condition that requires implanting a device to stop menstruation. I have to rely on expensive medications every day to stay alive, and my condition is also accompanied by infertility."

"..."

“It’s cruel for a woman, isn’t it?” Mrs. Margaret smiled. “Those were tough days, and he was just a waiter working in a restaurant.”

“We would often sit together on the steps after get off work in the evening and chat about the strange customers he had met that day, or which important customer had given him a tip.”

He would repeat these things to me tirelessly and promise me that he would definitely own a villa in Baicheng District in the future.

"Back then, I always laughed at him for not being realistic enough, because the White District is in the west of London, and the saying 'the powerful and wealthy are in the west' refers to the elite and prestigious White District."

"That's a place everyone longs for; the people there always have a smile on their face when they go out."

“He didn’t smoke or drink, and he worked three jobs, which was unbelievable among his friends at the time, but I knew he was just using the money to buy me those expensive medicines.”

"Although it was tiring, we supported each other and were always happy during that period."

"He knew I was infertile, but he was still willing to pay for my medical expenses. I didn't even know how to answer him."

As she said this, Mrs. Margaret couldn't help but sigh softly, because that strong and sunny face kept flashing in her mind.

"He left forty-three years ago."

The lady did not then reveal the reason.

"...The house where Madam is now...?"

"I bought it myself ten years ago, so this is a way of giving him an explanation."

Mrs. Margaret didn't dwell on the topic. "Get ready," she said. "Every birthday comes only once, and birthdays in youth are even more fleeting. I think Miss Fireworks will be very happy that you're organizing her birthday party."

The lady went to the kitchen to prepare pizza.

Kai Uesugi didn't know how he would feel if Hanabi's smile suddenly disappeared from his life.

But they will surely lose their way forward.

Just like in my previous life—besides my increasingly haggard spirit, there was only the boring life that remained unchanged day after day.

--------------

Two young girls, each carrying a painting tube, were walking home after leaving the art academy.

"Seriously! They've already rejected her, but they still think they're so sophisticated and artistic?"

"It's okay, Yuuki, didn't I explain it?"

"I'm talking about you, sister. They know perfectly well that you're engaged."

Hanamaru Hanabi didn't continue the conversation, but instead changed the subject and asked:

"Yuki, are you guys planning my birthday party?"

Hanamaru Yuuki paused for a moment, then smiled happily and said, "Ah? Haha... No, no, I just wanted to give you a few gifts."

“I know,” Hanabi Hanabi said, her feet in shiny black round shoes. “Kai-kun got blisters on his hands from practicing the piano a few days ago. I know he’s a person who takes things one step at a time, and he rarely puts in this much effort.”

"Sister, do you think your husband is good-looking?"

"Yes, it looks great."

"Actually, Yuuki is sometimes envious of you two, being able to live such a happy life together."

Hanamaru Yuuki strolled briskly along the British-style street.

"Although I think he's a bit selfish, asking you to come over and then suddenly wanting you to go back, on second thought, isn't it a very romantic thing to have a boyfriend who misses you and is willing to put aside his studies to chase after you thousands of kilometers away to wait for you to come back?"

"Hmm." Hanabi thought of him at the airport.

"So, sister, if you know anyone like brother-in-law, please introduce them to me. My requirements aren't high; as long as he's a little handsome and focused, that's enough!"

"Yuuki, you... want to be in a relationship?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"Of course not, it's just that I've never heard you mention these things before."

Hanamaru Yuuki suddenly hugged Hanamaru Hanabi's arm and said with a smile in front of her, "I rarely saw you before, but now I often see you and your husband being so sweet, and it makes me feel so happy."

"You'll greet each other in the morning, you'll prepare lunch for him, and after school he'll make you a cup of coffee. The occasional glances you exchange are also unspoken smiles."

"Isn't everything beautiful?"

----------

Kai Uesugi was waiting at the door, bathed in the brilliant glow of the setting sun.

If you were to ask him to describe what kind of girl Hanabi Hanamaru is, his answer would be that she is both gentle and strong.

She would reserve kindness for others, show her smile, and bury the words she most wanted to say deep in her heart, words she was afraid of disturbing.

Gentleness is a very common trait, but Uesugi Kai feels that she can no longer live without her gentleness and warmth.

Not far from the door is a fountain, and the setting sun makes the gushing water sparkle.

The girl, carrying a backpack and a painting tube, walked towards him with small, even steps.

The fiery red sunset obscured the sky, and the beautiful white dress of the young girl, swaying gracefully, stirred the heart with love.

Her shadow gradually shortened, and with her gentle and even steps, her tender and lovely face came into view.

"Welcome back," Uesugi Kai said with a smile. "Where's Yuuki?"

"She said she went to buy a gift..." Hanabi Hanamaru held the drawing tube in front of her with both hands, looked up at him with her bright purple eyes, "Kai-kun... have you been waiting for Hanabi here all this time?"

"Yes, we've been waiting."

"If Hanabi doesn't come back, will you keep waiting?"

"Always."

"Hanabi——"

"Fireworks, you—"

Both of them fell silent.

Kai Uesugi: "You go first."

Hanabi Hanamaru's small black round shoes were on the same street as him.

"Kai-kun doesn't actually need to hold a birthday party for Hanabi."

Kai Uesugi: "The birthday party is a way for everyone to show their care for you. Do you remember how you celebrated your fourth birthday?"

"Uncle, Aunt, Dad, Mom, and Brother Kai together..."

"That's what care is. Even though you're far from home, they still care about you, and there are still people around you who will throw you a birthday party. I'm sure they've already called you, right?"

"Um......"

“Kai-kun…” Hanabi Hanamaru saw the guitar case on his back.

Kai Uesugi extended his hand to her: "Let's go upstairs first, there's still some time before your birthday party starts."

Hanabi Hanabi took his outstretched hand and softly replied, "Okay..."

The autumn sunset is beautiful, dyeing the rolling clouds on the horizon a blend of gold and red.

Kai Uesugi sat on a stool on the balcony, clutching the guitar he had bought a few days ago to his chest. "I barely learned it in ten days. If I don't play it well, please don't mind, Hanabi."

Hanabi Hanabi noticed his calloused fingers. "It's alright, but Kai-kun, you don't need to be so..."

Kai Uesugi plucked a string, looked up and said, "Shouldn't we respond to Hanabi with our best efforts? I feel like I have nothing left to repay her with."

He lowered his head and pressed his fingers on the strings.

"I'm not a very good singer, but I'm still willing to sing 'Fireworks' for you. This is my first time playing and singing, and I'm giving it to the girl who has been with me for thirteen years and whom I've grown up with."

A gentle breeze stirs, and the glow of the setting sun shifts and dances.

Kai Uesugi strummed the strings, and his soothing yet youthful voice immediately began to sing:

"A startled sound, a dazzling burst, then a silent scattering—fireworks opened their arms in the night sky, fireworks of love, instantly illuminating us, blooming in the darkness. The fading, fragmented sparks quietly transformed into sorrow, and my heart was filled with layers of burning heat..."

Kai Uesugi had little singing experience, but the moment he started singing the familiar lyrics, Hanabi Hanabi smiled and couldn't help but sing along with him.

At this moment, the setting sun shimmered and danced on his face, and on the balcony where the two of them were alone, warm yet somewhat melancholic and lyrical music flowed:

"My longing for you is like a fever; even if it's just for a moment, I don't want to leave you. I want to see you, I just want to see you all the time. The first time I held your hand, boundless love welled up inside me. To keep it from slipping away, we held hands tightly, looked up, and gazed at the fireworks illuminating the night sky..."

This is a song she often sang to him.

.......

After they finished singing together, Kai Uesugi put down his guitar and smiled at Hanabi Hanamaru, who was sitting next to him.

"Don't you feel that this song is similar to us?"

Hanabi Hanamaru nodded and asked in return, "Does Kai-kun know when Hanabi first heard this song?"

"When?"

"At the fireworks festival two years ago, Hanabi kept scrolling through her phone after returning home, thinking that she hadn't been able to muster up the courage to confess to Kai-kun while watching the fireworks together. It was at that time that Hanabi found this song."

Kai Uesugi suddenly remembered something and smiled faintly: "So from then on, Hanabi, who could never sing, started to sing for me occasionally?"