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

What do I have to worry about?

[Anyway, it's settled then. 2-6-12 Ginza. Remember to come on time Friday noon, you absolutely have to!]

Kai Uesugi put the phone he had just hung up back into his pocket.

On the way home, the sound of the plastic bag swaying and the rain hitting the umbrella were clearly mingled together.

The words Goto had invited me to the class reunion kept echoing in my mind.

To say it's perfect is an understatement; it's been imperfect for a long time now.

Uesugi Kai continued walking, the sky overcast with rain, filled with an unyielding chill.

......

open the door.

"I am back."

Kai Uesugi spoke loudly because he secretly hoped that a soft, warm voice would reach his ears.

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

Cold rain sprinkled across the transparent umbrellas that were being used to walk between the high-rise buildings.

"Welcome to 7 Days Convenience Store."

"Hi, Seunghye, 300 yen."

"Sir, starting in September, you'll be charged for plastic bags. Here's your change: 190 yen. Please keep it safe."

Thank you for your patronage. We look forward to welcoming you again.

After leaving the convenience store, Uesugi Kai, whose chin was now covered in stubble, walked home alone, holding an umbrella.

The whispers of raindrops hitting the umbrella's surface filled my entire body with a chill.

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!]

###Chapter 299 What's so good about chili peppers?###

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

The chili peppers Hanabi bought were really spicy. When Uesugi Kai saw the bleeding wound on his thumb, he fell silent.

"Ah, brother is bleeding!" Ai Yi said, running to the corridor, standing on a small stool next to the cabinet, opening a drawer, and taking out a bunch of band-aids.

"Give."

"Let me wash it first." Uesugi Kai said expressionlessly, shoving the wound under the tap.

"What's wrong?" Hanabi Hanamaru, who was teaching Chii how to cook, turned to Kai Uesugi, who was sitting by the sink, and asked.

"Brother cut his hand on a chili pepper," Ai Yi said to the two of them, holding a long string of band-aids.

Getting cut by a knife, and then getting chili pepper on it, it's impossible not to feel pain.

"Hanabi, bring me some vinegar."

"Good, good."

"Doesn't it hurt?" Ai asked, seeing the wounds on Uesugi Kai that had been rinsed with water; the cuts were all white.

"It hurts," Uesugi Kai said calmly, taking the vinegar that Hanamaru Hanabi had given him and applying a little bit to the wound that had been stained with chili.

"If it hurts, why doesn't your brother look like he's in a lot of pain?"

"That was because I was holding it in; actually, it hurt a lot."

After Uesugi Kai applied vinegar to the wound, the burning sensation lessened slightly, and his heart relaxed.

Hanabi Hanabi held the vinegar bottle in both hands, looking at him with a puzzled expression: "Why is Kai-kun applying vinegar to his wound?"

"Acid neutralizes alkali, and the spiciness in chili peppers is called capsaicin."

Kai Uesugi turned his head to look at her, and Hanabi Hanabi subconsciously took a step back, thinking that she was about to get a flick on the forehead again.

"This is high school level knowledge. Hana-chan has really gotten dumber again."

"No way..." Hanabi Hanabi's momentum faltered after being told that, and she could only clench the vinegar bottle in her hand tightly. "It's been so long... I can't remember..."

When Uesugi Kai saw her cute appearance, he wanted to smile, but then he smelled a slight burnt smell.

"Hanabi-neechan, Hanabi-neechan, the pot!" Chiai, who was watching over dinner by the pot, didn't know what to do.

"Bread." Hanabi Hanamaru quickly turned around to look at the toast in the frying pan.

She flipped the toast over with a spatula and saw that it was only brown and hadn't burned yet.

"Phew~ thank goodness."

"Brother, here." Aiyi handed him the band-aid she was holding again.

"Thank you," Uesugi Kai said, feeling the burning sensation in her hand had indeed lessened, before covering the wound with a band-aid. "But how did Ai know where my band-aids are?"

Xiao Aiyi ran to the corridor very quickly just now, which clearly shows she knew.

"My brother is the third person to say thank you to Ai Yi."

The first one should be Qian Aiyi. Aiyi relies on her older sister a lot, and Qian Aiyi is also a very sensible older sister.

Who is the second one?

"Firework Sister."

Aiyi took the remaining bunch of band-aids in her hand, ran back to the corridor, stood on the small stool again, opened the drawer, shoved the things in, and then pushed the drawer shut with both hands.

Kai Uesugi felt much better in his hand and started chopping chili peppers again.

Actually, I just accidentally brushed against the blade when I raised my hand, which is why I got cut.

His vegetable-cutting skills are quite good.

"Kai-kun, you should rest. Hanabi can do it." Hanabi looked at his hands and seemed a little distracted.

Kai Uesugi knew Hanabi's thoughts very well. He guessed that she thought she was in the wrong again, and that if he hadn't helped her chop the chili peppers, she wouldn't have cut her hand.

"Without you cooking, I'm afraid I'll starve to death."

"Wh...what...?" Hanabi Hanamaru couldn't understand his words.

Kai Uesugi piled the red chilies together and chopped them into small pieces with a cleaver in his right hand. "What I mean is, don't worry too much. It's just a cut on your hand. I'm not that dramatic."

They've been together for over ten years and know exactly what to say and when to say it.

Hanabi Hanamaru didn't try to persuade him to rest anymore. She simply withdrew her concerned gaze and continued to busy herself with the dinner she had prepared, while also teaching Chii Ai, who wasn't very good at cooking.

What to eat for dinner is always a problem for a family.

When a guy says "whatever," the girl feels it's just a perfunctory response and then inexplicably starts throwing a tantrum.

A couple who were loving during the day broke up tonight.

Hanabi wouldn't do that. Even if Uesugi Kai said "whatever," she would seriously consider what to eat that night.

Today, Ai Yi and her two little girls came to visit, so the food was a bit lighter.

Miso soup, vegetable salad, sandwiches, mashed potatoes.

Kai Uesugi prefers light food, and his Hanamaru Hanabi is usually made separately from his own.

Because she likes spicy food, she puts a little chili in everything.

Hanabi prefers a milder, less oily spiciness, rather than the clean, refreshing spiciness of the chili peppers themselves.

It evokes the image of biting into a small chili pepper.

------

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

Cold rain sprinkled across the transparent umbrellas that were being used to walk between the high-rise buildings.

"Welcome to 7 Days Convenience Store."

"Hi, Seunghye, 300 yen."

"Sir, starting in September, you'll be charged for plastic bags. Here's your change: 190 yen. Please keep it safe."

Thank you for your patronage. We look forward to welcoming you again.

After leaving the convenience store, Uesugi Kai, whose chin was now covered in stubble, walked home alone, holding an umbrella.