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

Kai Uesugi smiled, feeling that her beauty in his heart was as pure and bright as a lily welcoming the first rays of the sun.

"Let's go, while we still have some time to stroll around, let's go for a walk at Sanshiro Pond, a popular dating spot at the University of Tokyo."

"Ah."

Sanshiro Pond is a small pond surrounded by trees, a place where you can forget you're in Tokyo.

The path along the pool is narrow, with moss-covered stones floating above the water, making it easy to slip and fall into the pool.

Therefore, it is very likely that they will hold hands here, take care of each other, and get closer to each other.

"Here, give me your hand." Uesugi Kai stood on the rock in front of her and offered his hand to the girl who was cautiously looking down at her feet.

Hanabi Hanabi grasped it directly, and the soft touch of the girl's small hand spread through her palm once again, warming her heart.

"Kai-kun, it's so steep here." The girl carefully stepped over the stones that were half-submerged in water, guided by him.

She shifted half her weight onto her hands, and the feeling of being relied upon by her was exceptionally reassuring.

Do you know Sanshiro?

"Sanshirō?"

"Sanshiro is the protagonist of Natsume Soseki's novel. He is a college student who came to Tokyo to study after graduating from the countryside. He came to Tokyo by train from Kumamoto, Kyushu, a world completely different from his previous understanding. He was overwhelmed by the novelty and became confused and lost, not knowing what to do in bustling Tokyo."

Uesugi Kai led Hanamaru Hanabi forward. There were several chestnut trees by the pond, their oval leaves falling onto the trees.

"He met Miyako Satomi by the pond. She was holding a fan, wearing a kimono, and was slender and beautiful. Her charming figure, along with the pond, buildings, and trees of the University of Tokyo, was etched into Sanshiro's bewildered heart in an instant. Compared to the country girls from his hometown, he had no resistance to a woman like Miyako."

Hanabi Hanamaru continued listening to his story.

His confused mind became even more confused, and he continued his university studies in a daze. Everyone has emotions and desires, and when they met for the second time, Sanshiro realized that he was attracted to her. Her figure, smile, posture, and words were infinitely beautified in Sanshiro's eyes.

"Miyako also vaguely liked him, but she had her own considerations. She was sometimes affectionate towards Sanshiro and sometimes distant towards him, neither accepting nor rejecting him, and often referred to him as a 'lost lamb'."

"Sanshiro didn't want to be a lost sheep. He wanted to pursue Miyako in the glamorous world, and Miyako had given Sanshiro ambiguous signals several times."

"And then?" Hanabi asked, sitting down with Kai Uesugi on a worn-out wooden stool by the pond.

"Unfortunately, from the moment he left his hometown, Sanshiro faced a completely unfamiliar world. He longed for this bustling and glamorous new world, yet he was also timid. His classmates and friends were far more quick-witted and witty than him. He knew he was a lost sheep, but because of his inferiority complex and timidity, he dared not take that first step."

"If Sanshiro takes that step, won't he be able to be with Miyako?" Hanabi's eyes gleamed.

Sparrows chirped among the trees, and goldfish swam constantly in the pond.

###Chapter 255 Tokyo University May Festival (1)###

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

At night, the curtains swayed gently by the window.

Occasionally, a few rays of moonlight would sneak out through the cracks in the corner of the window.

"Kai-kun, what happened to Sanshiro-kun afterward?"

Kai Uesugi looked at Hanabi Hanamaru, who was lying on the bed next to him with her head resting on the belly of a shark plush toy.

Her hair lay quietly in front of me, within easy reach.

She was incredibly beautiful under the bright, silvery moonlight.

He continued:

"The story ends abruptly. Mr. Natsume did not write about Sanshiro's future whereabouts, but only about his distraught murmurs after losing Miyako."

"As his admired Miyako Satomi said: 'The lost sheep still wander along the road.'"

Kai Uesugi twirled a strand of her hair with his fingers, gazing at her. She always had a calming, pleasant fragrance about her.

"This story is no one's fault. Miyako has her own pursuits and needs. Sanshiro's background and living environment determined his knowledge and personality. He only has strong feelings, but no corresponding strength, nor does he have the talent and knowledge of Professor Nonomiya of the University of Tokyo."

"Miyako also had feelings for Sanshiro, but these feelings never turned into a love that disregarded everything. Unable to get a response from Nonomiya, she had no choice but to make the best of a bad situation and look for someone else."

Kai Uesugi thought about the other person's emotional turmoil and couldn't help but recall his own past:

"Hanabi, if I hadn't confessed my feelings to you back then, would you still have expectations of me?"

Hanabi Hanabi placed her hand in front of her and on the white belly of the shark plush toy. "Hanabi will try her best to encourage herself and confess to Kai-kun."

Her beauty made Uesugi Kai somewhat dazed, constantly reminding himself that she was right beside him, right in front of him.

He feared that this life was merely a dream his past self had created because he was too lonely.

I'm afraid to open my eyes and see an empty ceiling, and when I turn my head, I see a bunch of empty takeout plastic boxes.

Getting a little sentimental, Uesugi Kai stepped forward, took Hanamaru Hanabi's small hand, and said to her:

"Go to sleep, it's time to go on stage tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to seeing Hanabi sing her heart out."

Hanabi Hanabi braced herself on the bed and moved closer to him.

"what happened?"

"Kai-kun...you can sleep while hugging Hanabi..."

"Aren't you afraid I'll do something bad?"

"N-It's okay..."

"Then I'll carry you."

"good....."

Kai Uesugi reached out and wrapped his arms around her petite back and her soft shoulders.

Hanabi Hanamaru curled her hands up to his chest, rested them on his outstretched arm, and lowered her head slightly.

The moonlight filtering through the soft curtains swayed in the breeze, and the girl's soft hair, her small hands curled up in her arms, and her delicate and clear profile, even in the dim night, made Uesugi Kai, who was holding her, feel warm and captivated.

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

"棣君棣君棣君棹君......"

Hanabi Hanabi sat mechanically in front of the mirror, her head tilted to the side and her gaze blank, eating the chocolate she had made for him on Tanabata.

Her teeth were making a continuous, ear-piercing grinding sound. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she kept asking herself, staring at her lovely face in the mirror:

"Kai-kun likes Hanabi, right? Kai-kun likes Hanabi, right? Hanabi made chocolates for Kai-kun. Kai-kun can't do without Hanabi by his side, can he?"

A faint, chilling voice echoed continuously in the pink room.

With a thud, the chocolates scattered all over the floor. She suddenly hugged herself, curling up in a sickly manner, staring at the dark corner under the cabinet and muttering to herself:

"Why does Kai-kun accept chocolates from others? Kai-kun already has Hanabi, isn't it good to have Hanabi? Hanabi is so cute, Hanabi is so beautiful, Kai-kun has Hanabi alone, which is more than enough."

"Fireworks belong only to Kai-kun. Kai-kun... cannot live without fireworks."

*

"Kai-kun, Kai-kun, Kai-kun..."

The weak voice calling his name grew louder and louder, and he slowly opened his eyes, which were followed by a dazzling white light.

"Kai-kun, it's time to get up," Hanabi Hanamaru called out cautiously.

"Is it morning...?" Uesugi Kai struggled to open her eyes, her head feeling a little throbbing from sleep.

"Hmm," Hanabi Hanabi nodded, she could smell his scent on her face, "Mom came to call us once earlier. Hanabi wanted to get up by herself, but Kai-kun hugged her too tightly..."

Kai Uesugi then realized that he was hugging her, and her belly was pressed tightly against his body, the upper part of which felt soft even through her clothes.

The girl's body was as soft and sweet as her personality.

Perhaps deep down she's a yandere?

Kai Uesugi shook his head, thinking that perhaps it was because he had been dreaming about that wicked Hanabi for the past few days that last night's dream was particularly strange.

He even had reason to suspect that if he had been in front of that firework, he would have been ruthlessly restrained, tied up, and not allowed to go anywhere. Every day, she would lovingly feed him carefully prepared meals, talking to herself about how much she loved Kai-kun, and occasionally helping him with certain needs.

This kind of controlling personality... is terrifying.

"Kai-kun... what are you thinking about?"

“It’s nothing,” Uesugi Kai said, loosening his grip on her. “Won’t it be uncomfortable if I hold you so tightly tonight?”

"No." Hanabi Hanamaru's face flushed slightly in front of him.

As soon as a blush crept onto her face, it revealed the shyness unique to young girls. Uesugi Kai leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, giving her a good morning kiss.

"how do you feel?"

"It's...it's pretty good..."

"Do you need my help?"

"Kai-kun..." Hanabi Hanamaru gripped his clothes tightly with both hands, her voice suddenly becoming barely audible with embarrassment.

Kai Uesugi said softly, "Want it?"

Her hands gripped his shirt tighter and tighter, her face flushed as if burning with fever, and she buried her face lower and lower:

"it is good......"

......

......

......

dong dong!

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Kai Uesugi noticed that Hanabi Hanabi, whose eyes were closed and whose face was burning hot, immediately tensed up.

“Kai-kun…”

"Don't make a sound, just pretend to be asleep."

Seeing no response, Mrs. Hanamaru pushed open the door and her gaze swept over the two people still sleeping on the large bed:

"Kai, Hanabi-chan, why aren't you up yet?"

Hanamaru Hanayu sat in her mother's lap, looking curiously at the large bed.

"Go and wake up your older brother and sister," Mrs. Hanamaru said to her, and placed the little one on their blankets.