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

Hearing such excited cheers, Uesugi Kai subconsciously looked to the side.

Inside the towering wire mesh wall, a group of baseball team members, their expressions extremely excited, were wearing helmets. They tossed the man in the middle, named Moriya, high into the air, chanting his name in unison.

"Shouwu! Shouwu! Shouwu!!"

His face, covered in sweat and excitement, exuded the energy of a passionate high school student.

Kai Uesugi could even feel the energy emanating from the vast baseball stadium, though he didn't understand why they were so happy:

"Grand Slam? Judging from how happy they are, it must be a very impressive thing."

Amidst their passionate atmosphere, Uesugi Kai murmured something and continued walking towards the teaching building.

18:05:36

Upon arriving at the classroom, all three members of the art club were present, except for Hitomi Kiyohara from the literature club.

They pushed the tables together and sat in the front row.

“Uesugi, come and sit down,” Haneda Nozomi pointed to the empty seat next to Hanamaru Hanabi. “I brought you some practice problems today, which I specially found from my college classmate.”

College classmate?

He's an alumnus of the University of Tokyo. How could he possibly have high school level questions?

Kai Uesugi sat down next to Hanabi and saw the name of the exercise book on the table.

It seems... he's a college classmate who runs a tutoring center...

He must be a rich person.

At that moment, Hanabi Hanabi leaned closer, her body emanating a pleasant, youthful scent, and whispered:

"Uesugi-kun... are the archery club members also very tired today?"

Kai Uesugi has a habit of unconsciously shaking his shoulders to relax when he's tired, which makes him feel much more comfortable.

"Yeah, it was quite tiring, after all, I stood for an hour and a half."

"Um...um..." Hanabi blushed and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Would you like Hanabi to massage my shoulders when we get home tonight? I see...I see couples on TV all like that..."

"..."

Rub...rub my shoulders?

At this moment, Uesugi Kai really didn't know what to say. When did Hanabi become so proactive?

Although he took the initiative to propose dating last night, apart from their respective parents finding out, everything else remained the same as usual the next day, without any changes.

Actually, he didn't know what couples should do. After all, he was a complete idiot when it came to relationships. He had stayed at home all his life until he graduated from university, and he knew nothing about dating girls.

He hesitated for a long time, putting down the pen he was writing with. After thinking for a while, he nodded in agreement:

"Ok."

"Ah."

Hanabi Hanabi nodded cutely, turned around, her little face flushed. This was something she had been thinking about for a long time today. Seeing that Uesugi Kai had agreed, she was happy and relieved.

Rie Ayaka and Rika Kujo were so focused on doing their homework that they didn't notice anything strange. After all, Hanabi Hanabi's movements and voices were very soft, and only someone like Kai Uesugi, who had been listening to music for over a decade, could extract information from such a faint sound.

However, some of their conversations and actions were noticed by Haneda Nozomi from above. She didn't say anything, after all, she knew that Uesugi Kai and Hanamaru Hanabi were childhood friends who had grown up together since they were little.

Although it wasn't apparent before, this now confirms that the two children have a good relationship.

Speaking of childhood friends, Haneda Nozomi suddenly recalled her own childhood.

As the only daughter in her family, she really longs for a male companion with whom she can grow up together, to care for and support each other in their free time, to learn from each other and make progress together at school, and to send each other happy birthday wishes.

Watching the two people in front of her discussing their homework, she couldn't help but smile knowingly from the bottom of her heart.

"This kind of relationship is quite enviable."

It was almost 8 o'clock when I got home from school.

This isn't considered late for Japanese high school students. Many students who attend tutoring or classes go home around 11 p.m. They stay up late and get up early, leading fulfilling and busy lives.

On the tram, the incandescent lights shone brightly inside the carriage.

"Hanabi-chan, I feel like something's off about you today. You keep spacing out."

Hanabi Hanamaru was startled by Ayaka Rie's sharp gaze and quickly raised her two small hands to wave at her:

"No...no, that must be your imagination, Riyo-chan..."

"Ok?"

"I was just asking, why are you so flustered?" Ayaka Rie frowned slightly as she looked at Hanabi's arms waving in front of her chest.

Seeing Ayaka Rie's expression, Hanabi Hanamaru immediately realized that something was wrong. She quickly withdrew her hand and placed it on the shoulder bag on her lap, carefully fastening it.

"It's weird!"

Rie Ayaka peeked over to look at Kai Uesugi, who was sitting next to Hanabi reading a book, then glanced at Hanabi beside her, her brows furrowing even more deeply.

"You two, you're not hiding something from me, are you?"

Hanabi Hanamaru's heart started beating faster, but she tried her best to keep her head down and not show it.

Uesugi Kai remained engrossed in her book, her expression unchanged.

However, in his heart, he couldn't help but admire Ayaka Rie's keen sense of smell.

She can find even the slightest clue and analyze it gradually. It would be a real shame if she didn't become a forensic doctor or detective.

"By the way, it seems that Uesugi ate Aunt Hanamaru's bento for lunch. That's quite rare."

This guy...

Kai Uesugi felt that if things continued like this, Rie Ayaka would figure it out, and he didn't want her, that "big mouth," to find out, even though she was Hanabi's close friend and unlikely to do so.

But just in case, I'll play the "Tokyo resident" again.

"That was a bento box that Aunt Mieko made for me to thank me for. What's so strange about that?" Uesugi Kai said calmly, holding the book, as if it were a very ordinary thing.

"Thank you, thank you for what?" Ayaka Rie asked.

"Thank you for helping Hanabi with her homework late last night. Weren't yesterday's exercises difficult?"

“It’s quite difficult,” Ayaka Rie nodded subconsciously, then suddenly realized, “You went to Hanabi’s room last night?!”

###Chapter Thirty-Eight: Little Firework's Past###

Seeing that he had successfully diverted her attention, Uesugi Kai stopped talking and continued reading his book, letting her imagine whatever she wanted.

Seeing this, Ayaka Rie quickly grabbed Hanamaru Hanabi's hand and asked with great concern:

"Hanabi-chan, did Uesugi do anything strange to you yesterday?! If so, you must call the police, or better yet, tell your father directly!"

“Uesugi-kun isn’t that kind of person…” Hanabi Hanamaru’s purple eyes flickered in the swaying lamplight, clear and transparent.

“That’s him,” Ayaka Rie said angrily. “He liked to hang out with Goto guy all the time last semester.”

"..."

Kai Uesugi is grateful to Hanabi for always thinking of him, but Rie Ayaka seems to have some misunderstandings about him.

He knew she hated Goto.

But why was I implicated?

He looked across at the middle-aged office worker sleeping on his back, the white-collar lady looking down at her phone, the bespectacled high school student playing games on his phone, the middle-aged woman who had just gotten home from get off work, and the little yellow hat with a lollipop on his lips...

What makes me special compared to them?

"Was there some misunderstanding during this time?" Uesugi Kai asked.

"There's no misunderstanding,"

After answering, Ayaka Rie whispered a few words to Hanabi beside her.

Then, Hanamaru Hanabi suddenly whispered:

"No...no, Uesugi-kun didn't do such a thing."

"Anyway, just be careful,"

Rie Ayaka turned around, crossed her arms, and glanced at Kai Uesugi.

"I..."

Hanabi Hanamaru lowered her head, unsure how to explain for Kai Uesugi. After all, Rie Ayaka had been right about everything, and Uesugi had even confessed his feelings to her, which she had accepted.

Although I don't know what happened back then.

When she got home that night, lying in bed, she remembered the scene of her smilingly accepting Uesugi Kai's request to date. She shyly covered her face with the blanket, curled up into a ball, and her heart was pounding.

His face turned red.

It was during dinner that Hanamaru Mieko noticed something was wrong and took the opportunity to ask about it.

"So, Hanabi-chan, you have to trust me."

"me..."

Hanabi Hanamaru hesitated, her slender fingers intertwined, but after a moment's thought, she finally spoke to Ayaka Rie:

"Hanabi believes what Riei-chan said, but Hanabi also believes that Uesugi-kun isn't that kind of person..."

"It's over,"

Ayaka Rie suddenly covered her forehead and shook it repeatedly, looking extremely worried. "Hanabi-chan, you're beyond saving."

After getting off at Waseda Station and onto the Tozai Line, Uesugi Kai and Hanamaru Hanabi embarked on the final leg of their journey home.

On the overpass, Uesugi Kai looked at the fireworks under the lights and said:

"Thank you."

"Why did Uesugi-kun say thank you to Hanabi?" Hanabi looked over with a puzzled expression in her violet eyes.

Kai Uesugi smiled and said, "Thank you, Hanabi-chan, for trusting me so much."

Hanabi Hanamaru hadn't reacted to being addressed so affectionately by Kai Uesugi in a long time.

She turned around and said in a weak voice: