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

We arrived at the hallway in front of the living room.

Hearing the soft, even footsteps on the stairs, Noriko Uesugi, who was making breakfast in the kitchen, casually said something towards the hallway next door:

"Good morning."

"Well, good morning."

Kai Uesugi replied, glancing at the steaming clay pot on the stove before continuing toward the connected living room.

He sat down skillfully opposite Kenichi Uesugi, ready to drink the milk that had been warmed up on the table beforehand.

However, as soon as he held the cup, he found it was too hot to handle, so he promptly gave up.

What happened to your face?

Kenichi Uesugi asked, looking at the white cotton pad tied to Kai Uesugi's face.

"I got hit."

Upon hearing this, Kenichi Uesugi suddenly smiled and said happily, "Haha, is it because someone at school saw that you were more handsome than him and felt very unhappy, so they dragged you to the toilet and beat you up?"

"..."

"Dad, aren't you angry about your son being beaten?"

“Not at all,” Kenichi Uesugi said seriously. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to understand what it’s like to beat my son so that I can find my feeling as a father.”

Kai Uesugi knew his past and glanced at him: "Just because your grandfather beat you when you were a child, you want to take revenge on your son?"

He was mature in every way from a young age, far surpassing his peers, which meant that Kenichi Uesugi never had a chance to beat him up.

"Of course!"

Kenichi Uesugi removed his right hand from the mouse on the table and crossed his arms.

“Your grandfather has always liked to beat us siblings since we were little. I’ve been looking for an opportunity to experience what it’s like to be that kind of bastard dad.”

“It’s a completely crooked and evil path. That’s how those domestic abusers in the news are born.” Uesugi Kai took a sip of the slightly cooled milk.

"I wouldn't call myself a domestic abuser. I, your father, just wanted to experience what it felt like to scold my son."

Kai Uesugi glanced at his father again, observing his expression.

He leaned back in his chair, his tone flippant, a smile on his face, and a casual air about him.

These details combined make it very clear that it's a joke.

He ignored him and continued drinking his hot milk.

A moment later,

"Ahem," Kenichi Uesugi sat up straight and became serious. "Getting back to the point, what exactly happened to your injury?"

"I got hit."

Who hit him?

"Hanamaru Yuki."

"Hanamaru Hiroki?"

Kenjiro Uesugi laughed immediately, "Hahaha, how does it feel to be beaten by your future father-in-law?"

“…” Uesugi Kai did not speak.

"Hahaha, if it were me, I would definitely give you a beating too. Your 15-year-old daughter hasn't even grown up yet, and she's been taken by a pig, and it's the pig that lives next door."

“Hey, hey,” Uesugi Kai said seriously, “How can you talk to your son like that? As a father, shouldn’t you be happy that your son brought home a girlfriend?”

"I'm happy," Kenichi Uesugi couldn't help but laugh, his glasses barely concealing the smile on his face, "but when I think of Yuuki's bitter face, I just can't help it."

"..."

Of course, a father would be very happy if his son brought home a girlfriend.

But if his daughter suddenly brought home a boyfriend, he would feel very uncomfortable.

Clearly, Kenichi Uesugi belonged to the former group, and he was overjoyed.

Chapter 44 Two People Under the Eaves in the Rain###

"Kai, what happened to your face?" Uesugi Noriko, who came out of the kitchen, placed a plate of potato curry in front of Uesugi Kai.

Before Uesugi Kai could answer, Uesugi Kenichi, sitting opposite him, smiled and answered for him:

"Haha, don't worry about him. This injury was inflicted by his future father-in-law, and the kid is overjoyed."

How can you tell I'm happy?

Kai Uesugi really wanted to complain, but he held back.

"Hanamaru Yuuki?" Uesugi Noriko placed another plate of potato curry in front of Uesugi Kenichi.

"Ah."

Soon, she returned to the kitchen, brought out her portion of curry, sat down opposite Uesugi Kai, and asked:

Is he teaching you kendo?

"It's pretty much a done deal, otherwise Yuuki wouldn't have found a good opportunity to beat this kid up." Uesugi Kenichi scooped up a spoonful of rice, put it in his mouth, and it tasted exactly the same as yesterday.

Noriko Uesugi looked at the large patch of cotton cloth on Kai Uesugi's cheek and said earnestly:

"In that case, Kai, you'll have to study hard. Back in college, your Uncle Yuuki was a renowned genius in the kendo world, which is why he was able to reach... um... what dan again at this age?"

Noriko Uesugi became more and more confused as she spoke.

“Seventh Dan,” Kenichi Uesugi remembered clearly, looking at Kai Uesugi, “Don’t look down on the seventh Dan. The seventh Dan in Kendo is one of the top ranks in the world. Yuki didn’t reach the eighth Dan because those old guys on the review committee wouldn’t let him pass. They said he was too young and they would have to wait until he was 50.”

50岁？

"Are there age restrictions for kendo ranks?" Uesugi Kai asked.

"Yes, of course there is,"

Kenichi Uesugi swallowed the rice in his mouth and continued, "As far as I know, one must be 13 years or older to take the first dan in kendo, one must be a year after completing the first dan training to take the second dan, one must be a year after completing the second dan training to take the third dan, one must be a year after completing the second dan training to take the fourth dan, one must be a year after completing the fifth dan, and so on."

"To achieve the eighth dan, one needs to have trained at the seventh dan level for more than ten years and be at least 46 years old. The success rate is extremely low. To put it another way, it's as difficult as winning a gold medal in a popular event at the Olympics."

"As for ninth-dan swordsmen, there aren't any yet."

Are there really that many restrictions?

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but think of his main quest that had lasted for two years.

If there were ranking restrictions in kendo and archery competitions, then it would be very difficult.

"Are there any entry criteria for the national high school kendo competition?"

"Haha, you little brat, you just picked up a bamboo sword and you want to participate in the national competition? Do you think you're a genius?"

Kenichi Uesugi chuckled and, after taking a bite of curry, continued, "However, apart from age restrictions, there aren't any rank restrictions for these kinds of competitions. After all, they're all high school students, so everyone is a first dan. Some people even deliberately skip the rank test to participate in the competitions."

"You can participate if you want, but you'd better achieve something, otherwise Yushu will definitely get angry and give you a good beating."

"Don't let his amiable and easy-going demeanor fool you; he can be quite formidable when he gets serious. I'm sure you experienced that firsthand when you learned kendo from him last night."

Kai Uesugi looked at the half-eaten potato curry on his plate and nodded in response:

"understood."

......

A light drizzle had begun to fall from the sky.

The pitter-patter of raindrops pounded against the solid earth, splashing up tiny droplets.

The rain falls, and nothing remains.

Rain is just a short-lived process.

From accumulating in the sky to falling to the ground, their lives are freest, lasting no more than a minute.

After that, whether it seeps into the land, gathers into depressions, or flows into the sea, it is nothing more than drifting with the current.

After finishing breakfast, Uesugi Kai picked up her umbrella, slung her bag over her shoulder, and changed her shoes in the entryway.

Noriko Uesugi suddenly came out of the living room, holding a transparent umbrella, and handed it to her:

"Hey, Kai, use this umbrella. It's a bit bigger than yours."

Kai Uesugi, who had just changed his shoes, stood up straight and looked around.

That umbrella was indeed much bigger than the one I had in my hand. My umbrella was a single-person umbrella, while the one my mother had was clearly a double-person umbrella.

Looking at the smile on her mother's face, Uesugi Kai understood what she meant.

I'm going out.

Noriko Uesugi watched Kai Uesugi's retreating figure as he left, then smiled and waved.

"Be careful on the road!"

Raindrops kept hitting the transparent umbrella, making short, dense "thump-thump" sounds.

The cold wind in the rain carried a hint of chill.

Fortunately, Kai Uesugi wore an extra thermal undershirt under her school uniform today, which made her feel much warmer when she walked around.

Walking slowly in this environment enveloped in cold rain has a unique charm.

As usual, he prepared to walk to the Hanamaru house next door.

However, this time, just as he passed the sign that read "Hanamaru", he turned around and saw Hanamaru Hanabi standing under the eaves at the entrance.

The eaves under the rain,

She lowered her head, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and gently exhaled a puff of warm air.

Her delicate and lovely cheeks flushed slightly as she was about to open the umbrella in her hand.

As if sensing something, she looked up and saw Uesugi Kai standing in the rain, gazing at her.

"Uesugi-kun."

She called out happily, and a smile bloomed on her lovely face, as pure and touching as a lily.