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

Kai Uesugi didn't react much, letting the chill invade his body as he continued walking through the rain-soaked streets of Tokyo.

He answered the phone, carrying a clear plastic bag containing two cup noodles.

It is the mother.

【Akai, the letter from the University of Tokyo has arrived.】

【Um. 】

[It says on the sign that the entrance ceremony will be held on April 1st!]

That's really lucky.

[Yeah, yeah! I can't believe you actually got in, A-Zhao! This past year must have been tough, right? What do you want to eat tonight?]

Kai Uesugi glanced sideways at the two packs of Nissin Cup Noodles in his plastic bag.

The pattering raindrops continued to fill my ears.

I've already bought some instant noodles.

[Instant noodles? No way! That's unhealthy. When you get home, just wait for me to go grocery shopping; it'll be ready in a minute.]

【Um. 】

Kai Uesugi hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

Unexpectedly, it rang again.

It's Goto.

【Hello.】

[Haha, Uesugi, I passed! I passed!]

【Congratulations.】

Hey, you have no idea how tough it's been for me lately. Every night I wait for the envelope to arrive at home.

【Um. 】

Kai Uesugi, phone in hand, gazed at the passersby under their umbrellas as they brushed past him.

[Hey, Uesugi, are you alright? You don't sound very happy. Could it be that you...]

You've passed; don't worry.

[You passed? Haha, that's great! The University of Tokyo... I can't even dream of it. There's a class reunion on Friday, everyone's coming. Are you coming?]

【never mind.】

Hey, no way! The class reunion wouldn't be complete without you! You're a celebrity at our school! Do you know how many girls have asked me for your phone number?

[It wouldn't be much different without me.]

###Chapter 242 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Once Again, Cherry Blossoms Fill the Sky###

The nourishing rain graces the earth.

The slender arrow separated from the fingertip and, under the watchful eyes of all the members of the East University Archery Club, flew into the distance as if destined.

Uesugi Kai put down his bamboo bow and, amidst the students' discussions, sat back down in the rest area.

The senior students, carrying bows over 2 meters long, began to whisper and discuss among themselves.

—This was his eightieth arrow, and the target was crowded with emerald green arrows.

"Senior is the record holder for the Hundred Shooting Competition, right?" Kiyosaki Takeshi put down his yuki and sat down next to Uesugi Kai. "A hundred shots in a row."

"Yes, I participated once." Uesugi Kai stared absently at the familiar rain outside the archery dojo.

"I always felt that my seniors were incredibly capable at everything they did."

"Keep going. Maybe you won't reach my level, but it will be more than enough."

"..."

"May I ask you a question, senior?"

"explain."

"When the bowstring is drawn taut and your gaze is fixed on the arrow, what do you think about, senior?"

----------

Lecture hall at the University of Tokyo.

"Literature and art should make people feel that a stone is a stone, a bridge is a bridge, and a flower is a flower."

"When I write the word 'bridge,' what's the first image that comes to mind? A wooden bridge over a stream? An overpass across the street? A bridge spanning Tokyo Bay?"

"Literature is a private thing; it wears down, needs to be rebuilt, and needs to pursue defamiliarization."

"What is wear and tear? A metaphor: Ah, she is as beautiful as a flower."

"This sentence sounds outdated, doesn't it? Everyone has heard it, and countless times, and subconsciously labels it: 'Can a sentence like this even be considered literature?'"

The students in the classroom all laughed.

"But you have to understand, when this metaphor first appeared, it must have been extremely beautiful in people's minds at the time. Women are like flowers? How come I never thought of such a wonderful phrase?"

"Therefore, when creating literature, we should appropriately pursue a certain degree of defamiliarization, so that your words evoke a hazy, unprecedented beauty in the reader's mind, giving them a fresh perspective and making them realize, 'So words can be used in this way...'"

......

After class, many students packed up their notes and left.

Some people, still wanting more after the hour and forty-minute class, went to the podium to ask the professor, who was sipping tea to soothe his throat, for further questions.

"Uesugi, let's go eat at the cafeteria." Totsuka Katsura picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

Kai Uesugi finished tidying up his notes, shifted his gaze, and the ticking hands of a watch were reflected in his gold-rimmed glasses. "No, you and Kiyosa go eat first. I have something to do at the school gate."

Soon, his figure disappeared into the lecture hall.

"Senior, where are you going?"

With her chin raised, Katsura Totsuka confidently said, "Of course I'll go on a date with a man who's barely as handsome as me."

"The senior colleague said he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"No girlfriend?" Totsuka Katsura patted his shoulder and shook her head. "I don't know if you've noticed his left hand."

"What's wrong with your left hand?" Kiyosaki Takeshi asked, puzzled.

Totsuka Katsura gave her a look that said, "You're so clueless!" "Tsk, a ring! A ring! You didn't even notice such a big diamond ring?"

"Totsuka-kun, you mean senpai... is already married!?"

"Sigh, that's the sad thing. 26 out of 28 people in our class have never been in a relationship, but Uesugi got married early."

"So, are you interested?" Totsuka Katsura asked in an encouraging tone.

"What?" Kiyosuke Takeshi reacted slowly.

"Go and meet Uesugi's wife, whose face has never been shown before! Aren't you curious? He's the kind of man who receives over a dozen love letters a month."

"What's there to be curious about? Don't, don't push me."

"Let's go take a look, just a quick glance."

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

"Kai-kun, these are some clean clothes."

"I bought these cookies with my classmates and found they were so delicious! I want Kai-kun to try them too."

"Hanabi likes to eat chocolate, Kai-kun, remember not to eat too much, or you'll gain weight."

"You should drink more milk."

"And a laptop, Kai-kun said the other day he wanted to buy one for taking notes and doing homework, so..."

"You just bought it for me yourself?" Uesugi Kai didn't take it from her.

Hanabi, who was handed the bags and packages, paused for a moment, then looked up at him: "Kai-kun...don't you like it?"

“It’s too expensive. This is your salary from illustration work.” Uesugi Kai took the black handbag with the Apple logo from her hand. “Besides, I’m not short of money right now.”

"Hanabi just wanted to help Kai-kun."

“I appreciate your kind gesture,” Uesugi Kai said, looking at the girl in the white dress. “Where would you like to go on Saturday?”

Hanabi Hanamaru slightly furrowed her brow, her ten fingers touching in front of the white hem of her skirt:

"Kai, Kai-kun has made the decision."

"You have classes today, right?"

"Okay, then Hanabi will be going now."

Kai Uesugi: "Goodbye."

"Okay, goodbye."

As Uesugi Kai watched her lovely figure disappear at the other end of the road, he turned around and noticed two people secretly observing her from behind the ginkgo tree, one of whom looked quite surprised.

He shook his head, not paying much attention to it, and carrying his bags, went to his rented apartment nearby.

—Originally, the two planned to rent the same apartment, since it was only a half-hour drive from Tokyo University to Tokyo University of the Arts. However, in order to allow Hanabi to grow up a little more independently, he let her rent her own place.

----------

Friday evening, May 16th.

As dusk fell, the cherry blossoms along the Kanda River embankment were dyed crimson.

The Uesugi family.

"Hanabi, Hanabi, look, why is Kokoro crying?" Uesugi Kai held his three-month-old sister, Uesugi Kokoro, in his arms. The adorable little girl had tears streaming down her face.

Hanabi Hanamaru ignored Hanayu, who liked to crawl and run around, and took Uesugi Kokoro from his arms. She touched the diaper; it was a little damp.

"He peed, we should change his diaper."

Kai Uesugi quickly took a diaper from the drawer his mother had prepared and went over to it.