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

She stood beneath the blood-red torii gate, her expression confident, her face radiant like jade, her bare feet treading on the moss-covered stones, every smile and gesture exuding an extraordinary and refined aura.

If you look closer, you can also spot a pink fox tail peeking out from behind her in the quiet, secluded cedar forest.

Even though the tail was right behind the shrine maiden's outfit, and the exquisite lighting made it incredibly vivid, it seemed to be shrouded in layers of mist. The fox lady's smug smile became beautiful and mysterious against the blurry and unreal cedar forest background.

This is an exceptionally skilled artist, immediately apparent.

Kaiya Uesugi recognized the illustration as Hanabi Hanabi's from the fox tail behind him, which she had finished drawing a few days earlier.

This post, published 5 hours ago, has 63.2 views and 11 likes.

Several comments received tens of thousands of likes.

Kai Uesugi doesn't usually use Twitter much.

He registered the account to follow the activities of the artist Hanahana.

He generally doesn't log in to view Huobi unless she posts something new.

SG Bunko is the paperback company that collaborated with Hanamaru Hanabi.

The effusive praise in the comments made Uesugi Kai keep scrolling down to read them.

A large part of the discussion is that Mr. Hanamaru has actually started working again.

The remaining part is curious about who the drawing is, because SG Bunko is subtly hinting that it is the female protagonist of a certain light novel.

This is a pre-release promotional post, which can generate anticipation among the general public, and this will greatly help with sales.

Even Uesugi Kai would be curious about the story of this pink fox lady.

He had read the first edition of the first volume, but he hadn't had a chance to read the revised edition that the author had just revised.

The more I read, the more comments there were, and they were all positive.

He suddenly realized that Hanabi's new illustrations were so popular.

Kai Uesugi even had the idea of ​​writing his own light novel, not because he particularly wanted to showcase his literary talent.

He wanted to know what the characters he created were like in Hanabi's mind.

Is it not a fun and meaningful thing to work together to create a character?

Hanabi stayed out slacking off until noon before heading home.

We had arranged to go to Matsukawa Cuisine in the afternoon, so we just had a simple lunch.

"Actually, there's no need to dress up so elaborately, is there?"

Kai Uesugi leaned against the bedroom door, looking at Hanabi Hanabu, who kept pressing her skirt against herself.

"Hanabi just wants to know which one suits her better..." Hanabi Hanamaru held up a plaid skirt with both hands.

“You’ve been trying on clothes for half an hour now, and I’d say any of them would suit you.”

"Does this one look good?" Hanabi Hanabi lifted the plaid skirt in front of her.

"nice."

"And this one...?" She took out a creamy white floral dress from the closet.

"Beautiful." Uesugi Kai met her eyes and said helplessly.

"Take a look at this one, Kai-kun." She picked up a navy blue pleated skirt.

"They're all beautiful."

Hanabi Hanamaru lowered her hands, "I always feel like Kai-kun isn't being serious..."

"I was definitely watching it carefully."

"Really?"

“Really,” Uesugi Kai said.

"Kai-kun, don't lie to Hanabi..."

Seeing that she seemed a little down, Uesugi Kai said, "Of course I wouldn't lie to you, and I wouldn't want to lie to you..."

"Then... what about the day before yesterday? Hanabi asked Kai-kun when he came back, and Kai-kun said an hour ago, but he just got back." Hanabi's voice grew weaker and weaker.

"That was just a joke."

When Uesugi Kai saw Hanabi's profile at that moment, he was reminded of many things: her smile when she was a child, her smile now. Gazing at her earnest face for a moment, he felt a sense of disorientation, as if more than a decade had passed in an instant.

Seeing her small hands clenching her skirt tightly, Uesugi Kai understood why she wanted to dress up beautifully before going out.

Kai Uesugi walked in front of her, placing his hands on her slender shoulders where her head was bowed. "Don't worry, I would never lie to you about matters of the heart. Hana-chan, you can rest assured."

After listening to his words for a long time, Hanamaru Hanabi finally raised her little head slowly, looked at him with her sincere, bright purple eyes, and said in her uniquely soft and gentle voice:

"You can't even joke around... Hanabi really lacks confidence..."

"I don't joke about feelings. Haven't you noticed that I always speak very seriously about every emotional thing between us?"

Kai Uesugi pressed his forehead against her warm little head. "Like I said before, Hanabi is the only girl I would do everything in my power to chase after."

"Hmm..." Hanabi Hanabi's eyes shifted to her hands gripping her skirt. "Is Kai-kun's classmate pretty...?"

"Although it's not good to comment on others like this, fireworks will always be the most beautiful in my heart."

"Kai-kun... don't forget this... Hanabi will always remember it until her wedding..."

"And what about after we get married?" Uesugi Kai asked with a smile.

"After marriage..." Hanabi Hanamaru lowered her head slowly, "...of course, it's the same..."

It was a bit cloudy in the morning, turning overcast, but by the afternoon, the sun, which hadn't peeked out all day, suddenly became unstoppable.

Kai Uesugi took Hanabi Hanabi out. The outdoor air began to feel the sweltering heat unique to June, and only the cool air from the train's air conditioner made people feel much more comfortable.

The tram swayed along the city tracks, a strangely pleasant feeling that even gave me the idea of ​​taking a tram ride around Tokyo.

"Has no one been bothering you lately?"

"No... Why do you ask that, Kai-kun?"

"I'm just a little concerned about the classmate you met that day."

Matsukawa Cuisine is located in Akasaka, Minato Ward, and is a completely introduction-based restaurant.

A restaurant that operates on a referral basis means that if you want to eat there, you need someone you know or a regular customer to act as a referrer and guarantee your admission.

The restaurant's purpose is to limit new guests.

Once a restaurant gains fame, what it lacks is not customers, but the chef's energy.

The chef can make a meal for six people perfectly, but he can't make a meal for six hundred people perfectly at the same time.

To better cater to its regular customers, Matsukawa Restaurant refuses phone reservations from newlyweds.

You need to have a personal connection to even be able to book a reservation at this top-ranked kaiseki restaurant in Japan several months in advance.

"They actually managed to book a table," Meijin's father glanced at the two characters at the entrance, then turned to look at his daughter. "What school does he go to? What's his major? What does he want to do in the future?"

"dad!"

Umezu Nana stomped her foot in the corridor of Matsukawa Restaurant. "Why ask so clearly now? Can't we ask inside later? Besides, didn't I already tell you?"

"All I know is that you two go to the same school. And why did you suddenly tell us you're dating? We've been urging you to find someone, but you haven't done anything. Otherwise, how many guys do you think would want to date you, given your status at Tokyo University?"

"What kind of talk is that!"

“I’m just stating the facts.” Mei Jin’s father glanced at his daughter and said in a reluctant tone, as if coaxing a child, “I’ll ask you one more time, is he some young master or nobleman from a wealthy family?”

"No! He's just an ordinary classmate."

"Then how come he can book a table at this Matsukawa restaurant anytime?"

"How would I know? Maybe he knows someone in here..."

"You're his girlfriend, if you don't know, who does?"

"Excuse me, could you please move aside?" A smiling man walked in from the doorway with a female companion.

After giving way to the other person in the narrow corridor, Umezu's father's attention returned to his daughter.

What's his last name?

"I already said... his name is Uesugi."

"You...like him?"

"Hurry up and go in, I'm going to get Mom!" Nana Umezu pushed her father into the private room.

Watching his daughter's retreating figure as she walked down the corridor, Umezu's father turned around and peered through the crack in the door at a young man sitting alone in a private room.

Although he couldn't see the whole face clearly, he did notice the young man's rather handsome appearance.

Meijin's father straightened his collar slightly, pushed open the door, and went inside.

------

Meanwhile, in the other single room next door.

The male staff member, dressed in an elegant kimono, served the first dish to the group: crab rice.

The ingredients are giant crabs caught from Kyoto's Kenji Port, known as "dream crabs," with a cost of 6 yen per crab.

This dish, "Jianren Crab Rice," uses a crab shell as a vessel, placing glutinous rice, crab meat, and crab roe on top. The small amount of glutinous rice inside the shell enhances the sweetness of the crab. When you pick up a piece with your chopsticks, the soft and sticky crab roe, crab meat, and glutinous rice melt instantly in your mouth, releasing a rich yet refreshing aroma.

One bite, and you're greeted with a mouthful of crab meat; the only word to describe the sensation is "sweet."

Totsuka Katsura finished his meal in one bite, but was still not satisfied, even eyeing his girlfriend's crab shell with a gleam in his eye.

Kitagawa Sakakisa also took a bite. Although she found it delicious, her expression and actions didn't change much.

"Hanabi-chan, what made you suddenly decide to invite me to a kaiseki meal today!?"

------

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."