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

"Have you ever studied 'mono no aware'?"

Everyone here is a liberal arts student from the University of Tokyo. They may not be experts in any particular field, but they have all read The Tale of Genji.

The elderly professor, with his gray hair, leaned on the podium and addressed the audience: “In the concept of ‘mono no aware,’ both emotion and objects are the main components of ‘mono no aware.’ Only when emotion and objects are regarded as a unified whole can it be called ‘mono no aware.’”

"In fact, many people have a deep misunderstanding of 'mono no aware' (the pathos of things), thinking that 'aware' refers to sadness. But that's not the case. In his 'Shimon Yoryo' (The Essentials of Purple Writing), Motoori Norinaga explains 'mono no aware' as follows: We see and hear the myriad forms of all things in the world, experience them firsthand, and savor them in our hearts. We discern the emotions of these things one by one in our hearts. This is understanding the emotions of things, and this is understanding the pathos of things."

Simply put, "mono no aware" is a "genuine expression of emotion," a feeling arising from the human heart upon encountering the external world, encompassing many elements such as sympathy, sorrow, lamentation, praise, affection, admiration, love, pity, and resonance...

The professor on the podium adjusted his glasses and called out a name from the roster:

"Uesugi, Uesugi-kun, is Uesugi-kun there?"

In the last row of the classroom, on the far left, Uesugi Kai was staring blankly at the ginkgo tree outside the window, which was being rained on.

The fan-shaped leaves, glistening with moisture, swayed gently in rhythm with the June plum rains.

"Is Uesugi-kun there?"

"Uesugi, hey! Uesugi!" Totsuka Katsura nudged him with her elbow when he still hadn't heard her.

“Uesugi…” The professor scanned the classroom twice and finally noticed that someone had stood up. “Please briefly explain your views on ‘mono no aware’ (the pathos of things).

"Mono no aware...? A lingering sorrow for all things."

Please provide a more detailed explanation.

Uesugi Kai pondered for a few seconds, glanced at the ginkgo leaves under the rainy season outside the window, and then said, "Cherry blossoms bloom, the rainy season arrives, autumn leaves fall—these are all the scenes of nature. Some people will silently sigh at them in their hearts, while others will find these scenes uninteresting."

When you discover extremely beautiful cherry blossoms, you can't help but think, "These cherry blossoms are so beautiful!" You understand the beauty of cherry blossoms, and this is the sorrow of things. But if you are unmoved no matter how beautiful the cherry blossoms are in front of you, you do not understand the sentiment of things.

"Just like I often listen to the rain, I try to feel my own emotions in the sound of the rain, and then integrate these emotions into the sound of the rain, which creates a deeper feeling in my heart. This is the 'sorrow of things'."

The classroom was quiet, and many people were listening intently to what he had to say. Occasionally, they would jot down a sentence or two, adding their own interpretations to the words.

The gray-haired liberal arts professor pondered for a moment, then looked up, smiled at him, and said:

"The previous sentence is 'The Essentials of Purple Texts,' right? Hmm... very good... sit down."

Kai Uesugi sat back down, glanced at the screen behind the professor, and began taking notes on the computer.

Totsuka Katsura leaned over and said, "Uesugi, you actually read 'The Essentials of Purple Writing'? Didn't you skip class every day?"

"Hmm...? You look down on me, don't you?"

"Haha, you've caught a May sickness, and it seems you're not going to get rid of it. How many of those five short papers did you write?"

"Five articles? That must be exhausting. Can I borrow your notes for a moment?"

I'll send it to you later.

Reading books, papers, English, and writing papers—this is the daily reality for a miserable humanities student.

Kai Uesugi was starting to miss his Professor Okuno again; at least he would still drag him to the countryside to do social research.

Taking walks is something he enjoys; he'll stop to admire any interesting scenery or flowers he sees.

At times like these, he feels a desire to record this beauty.

I'm wondering if I should learn to draw.

The sky should have been overcast for days during the rainy season, but when Uesugi Kai walked out of the classroom with her laptop after class, she saw the sun shining brightly.

The refracted sunlight made the tiny water droplets in the air shine.

Sun shower?

Kai Uesugi stood under the water-drenched ginkgo tree, looking up and searching for something in the sky through the beams of sunlight.

Southeast, Southwest, Northeast...

Finally, in the northwest, he found the rainbow he wanted to see.

A brilliant rainbow soared across the sky, reflecting the sunlight, its smooth arc resembling a precious silk ribbon.

He quickly raised his phone and took a picture of the sky.

A snap.

The image froze on the electronic device, and after about ten seconds, the rainbow disappeared without a trace.

The beauty still seems to linger in my heart.

I could even imagine the vibrant rainbow colors that had just appeared in that blank area.

It's like a rainbow still hanging in the sky.

However, upon closer inspection, all that remained was dark clouds, apart from the falling drizzle.

Beautiful things are fleeting, and a sense of regret arose in Uesugi Kai's heart. This must be what was called "mono no aware" (the pathos of things) just now.

However, while there is regret, there is also anticipation, hoping to meet again by chance.

Kai Uesugi reviewed the photos he had just taken, then sent them to Hanabi Hanabi along with a request emoji that read "Looking forward to your feedback."

She received the news very quickly.

Hanamaru Hanabi: [Beautiful! 】

Kai Uesugi: [Didn't you see that?]

Hanabi Hanamaru: [No... Hanabi just finished class and is about to go get lunch.]

The couple's matching profile pictures with little fireworks were finished, but she was too embarrassed to change them, saying it was too shy.

We're an old married couple, what's there to be shy about?

Kai Uesugi: [To thank Hanabi for cooking for me every day, I want to repay her.]

Hanamaru Hanabi:【】

Kai Uesugi: [How about we watch a movie? A horror one.]

Hanamaru Hanabi: [No, you can't look at that.]

He remembered that he had never dared to watch fireworks since he was a child, and could say he had never seen one.

She always turns on the light when she gets up to use the bathroom at night.

When she came back, she would carefully turn off the lights in the hallway, then rush back in a panic and burrow into the covers.

For this reason, she has never been to a haunted house.

It's a pity that horror movies and haunted houses are supposed to be essential activities for couples to enhance their relationship.

Kai Uesugi tapped the screen with her fingers: [I miss you. When can we meet?]

In the chat box, Hana Maru Hanabi's reply bubble quickly appeared: 【Even...even so, you still can't look at those things...】

Kai Uesugi: [What are you looking at?]

Hanamaru Hanabi: [Shark Cub vs. Squid Girl 3]

Kai Uesugi: [A truly awful movie.]

Hanamaru Hanabi: [It's so beautiful!]

Kai Uesugi: [You just want to see sharks! But if you want to see sharks, why don't you go to an aquarium?]

Hanabi Hanabi: 【...Because Shark Chu can fly...】

Kai Uesugi: [The sharks in Sharktorn can go to space, why not mention that?]

Hanamaru Hanabi: [That movie was also very good.]

He realized that anything related to sharks was considered good-looking.

What's so good about those wretched cartilaginous fish?

Uesugi Kai immediately abandoned the idea of ​​taking her to see a horror movie: "Never mind... I'll take you to the aquarium instead."

Is this a date...?

Kai Uesugi smiled at the screen and replied: [Is Hanabi looking forward to a date? If you're tired of playing, I can take you to a couples' hotel to rest.]

After replying with a red cross enclosed in a circle, Hanamaru Hanabi said she was going to eat.

He sleeps with his soft, fragrant body in his arms every day... He's a normal man... It's inevitable that he'll feel uncomfortable.

Before going on a date at the aquarium, let's get back to work on the thesis.

Perhaps it was because of the agreement that everyone's mood was filled with joy and excitement for the upcoming tomorrow.

Their motivation to learn will be much stronger.

After staying in the library until 8 p.m., only having some dessert, Uesugi Kai felt his eyes were really tired, so he packed up his things, picked up his laptop, and walked along the ginkgo-lined path at the University of Tokyo.

After exiting the Akamon Gate, I hailed a taxi home in the neon-lit city of Tokyo.

—After I got money, I took the tram much less often.

Wouldn't you say that money has corrupted one's character?

Kai Uesugi used the key to unlock the door, pushed it open, and went inside. He found Hanabi's little leather shoes neatly placed in the entryway. He tiptoed in quietly.

There was no one in the kitchen, no one in the living room, and no one in the bathroom, but it was warm.

That leaves only the bedroom.

As he approached, he noticed a crack in the door. Peeking closer, he saw Xiaohuahu changing her clothes.

Her hair was piled up on her head, and her face was fair and radiant with a faint cherry blossom blush.

He must have just finished taking a bath, and he's probably not wearing anything under his yukata.

Kai Uesugi stood silently outside the crack in the door. Just as the ribbon around his waist was about to be untied, Hanabi Hanabi noticed him.

"Kai-kun..." The girl pouted and pulled the sides of her yukata to cover her body.

"Yes, I'm back." Uesugi Kai pushed open the door, pretending nothing was wrong.

"Kai-kun, you're peeking." Hanabi Hanamaru said warily.

"I just happened to come back." Uesugi Kai slowly approached her and put his arm around her slender waist.

When she's hesitant to resist, quickly kiss her forehead to show your affection, then gently let go of her.

A street scene in Tokyo at 1:39 p.m.