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

"Hanabi always feels that Uesugi-kun can protect her well, and he also gives her some delicious snacks... If Uesugi-kun continues to treat Hanabi like a little sister... Hanabi..."

Hanamaru Hanabi's voice grew weaker and weaker until it gradually disappeared.

Is this why she followed him around since she was little?

I can give her a sense of security and take care of her like a younger sister.

But she doesn't seem to like this identity very much.

Suddenly, Uesugi Kai felt that the pattering rain in the sky had become somewhat muffled.

The two walked down the overpass together and strolled slowly through the narrow streets of Tokyo in the rain.

The two had shared the same umbrella on rainy days before.

The air gradually solidified in the rain, filled with the chaotic pattering sounds.

The conversation between the two came to an abrupt end.

Kai Uesugi glanced at Hanabi Hanabi, who was standing silently with her head down beside him, opened his mouth, then suddenly closed it again, ultimately saying nothing.

He didn't know what to say at that moment.

And so, the two of them walked into Waseda Station together, waiting for the Tozai Line train in the morning.

Strictly speaking, the Tozai Line is a subway, but in fact, most of Tokyo's subways run on the surface and are electrically powered, much like ordinary trams.

The platform was already packed with people, the thick crowd blocking the two at the back, leaving only their crowded backs.

Most of them were office workers in suits and briefcases, while others were high school students in other college uniforms.

Many people are still eating bread bought from convenience stores to fill the hunger they feel from not having breakfast in the morning.

In Japan, there are no breakfast shops in the early morning; restaurants open at noon and food is only available at noon.

Even ramen shops and snack bars won't open at this time.

This means that people who don't have parents or wives to help them make breakfast at home can only pick up some food from convenience stores to barely fill their stomachs.

Lonely people reveal their loneliness everywhere in this bustling city.

On rainy days, there are more people taking the tram, and you have to wait for an extra tram before you can barely squeeze in.

Kai Uesugi shook the transparent umbrella dry, tightened it, fastened the zipper, and looked at Hanabi Hanabi, who was quietly watching her ahead.

The silence from before remains.

"Hanabi, are you angry?"

After hesitating for a long time, Uesugi Kai finally asked the question.

"Hanabi... isn't angry." Hanabi, with her head down, still had that gentle and cute voice.

Is it because she's conflicted about the identity of "younger sister"?

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but feel conflicted, and he began to think about how to continue the conversation.

"Uesugi-kun."

After a long silence, Hanabi Hanabi suddenly turned to him and shouted, "Actually, Hanabi thinks that being Uesugi-kun's sister would be very happy."

"So, Uesugi-kun can just treat Hanabi like a little sister."

Treat her like a younger sister? You're not planning to date her anymore?

Uesugi Kai paused, looking at her upturned face.

Did he get dumped?

Compared to a romantic partner, it's more comfortable and reassuring to treat a childhood sweetheart as an older brother.

“But,” Uesugi Kai asked her, frowning, “aren’t we in that place right now?”

"What?" Hanabi Hanabi's little face showed confusion.

"That day, didn't you promise...?"

"Um,"

Hanabi Hanabi understood what Uesugi Kai meant and responded softly, "Although this is Hanabi's first time too, and I don't understand these things... but Hanabi has already promised Uesugi-kun..."

This time it was Uesugi Kai's turn to be puzzled.

He did not reject the idea of ​​her being his girlfriend.

Then treat her as a "younger sister" —

Doesn't it mean rejecting the status of a romantic relationship and returning to the previous "brother and sister" relationship?

He was puzzled and then asked, "Hanabi, when you said 'treat her as a younger sister,' didn't that mean you were refusing?"

"what?"

Hanabi Hanabi tilted her head cutely, looking utterly puzzled, "Why would Uesugi-kun think that?"

Realizing that she might have misunderstood, Uesugi Kai frowned slightly and explained:

"Because you seemed very unhappy just now, and you didn't say anything or answer my last question, I thought you didn't like me treating you like a younger sister."

"Uesugi-kun...it seems there's been a misunderstanding."

Hanabi Hanabi smiled and explained to him, "Hanabi is just reminiscing about how Uesugi-kun used to feed Hanabi. Uesugi-kun... he really seemed like Hanabi's older brother back then."

"Uesugi-kun, do you still want to treat Hanabi as your little sister?"

"..."

Kai Uesugi suddenly realized that they had both misunderstood each other.

Hanabi Hanamaru thought he liked her when she was her "little sister," but she was troubled because their relationship had turned her into his "girlfriend."

And because Hanamaru Hanabi remained silent, coupled with that strange remark, he was misinterpreted as being dumped.

With the misunderstanding cleared up, Uesugi Kai was somewhat speechless. He realized he'd been a bit too sensitive lately, always overthinking things related to fireworks.

"You're overthinking it, Fireworks."

"Huh?" Hanabi Hanamaru's pretty face seemed a little disappointed.

"But, but, Hanabi heard from Riei-chan that boys who don't have younger sisters really want one, and they'll treat her like their girlfriend, especially someone like Uesugi-kun... uh... a nice guy!"

That's perverted.

Kai Uesugi knew immediately what Rie Ayaka would say.

They keep feeding Hanabi all sorts of strange knowledge.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shake his head, holding his head.

"Does Uesugi-kun... dislike Hanabi's identity as his sister?" Hanabi's bright eyes blinked, and her cherry lips parted slightly as she asked in a very obedient manner.

One train on the East-West line had already passed by, and the long line of people ahead had thinned considerably.

"No, it's not that I don't like it, it's just..."

“Kai...brother.”

This address made Uesugi Kai pause for a second, instantly recalling her former appearance, the pitiful little girl who used to follow behind him, clutching the hem of his clothes.

The girl's cheeks flushed slightly, and she was quite embarrassed. "If Uesugi-kun likes the nickname we used when we were little, Hanabi can change back to her old nickname. As long as Uesugi-kun is happy."

"Hanabi doesn't know what lovers do, nor does she know what she should do. Hanabi is stupid and can't answer Uesugi-kun's question from before."

"All I can do is try to make Uesugi-kun as happy as possible. I'm sorry..."

At this point, the girl lowered her head, somewhat unable to look Uesugi Kai in the eye.

###Chapter 47 The Extremely Long Road to School###

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Kai Uesugi smiled and reached out to gently pinch her nose with his index finger.

"After all these years, Hanabi is still as clumsy as when she was a child, just like a child who hasn't grown up."

"Uesugi-kun..."

"Alright, the tram is here. It's time to get on, or we'll be late."

"Ah."

......

Shoulder to shoulder, crowding together.

The tram was packed with people on a rainy day, with countless middle-aged men in suits leaning against it, and the air was thick with the smell of mothballs. Uesugi Kai even sensed the miserable days he would be living as a corporate slave in the future.

Announcement: "Thank you for riding this train. This is a local train heading towards Nishi-Funabashi. The next stop is Kagurazaka. The next stop is Kagurazaka."

Kai Uesugi held onto the handle with his right hand and extended his left hand to support Hanabi Hanabi's face, shielding her against the wall to prevent others from bumping into her.

The tram was packed with people.

As the tram started moving, the crowd leaned backward.

Kai Uesugi was squeezed so tightly that he had to stand on tiptoe, his chest felt tight, and he used his left hand to brace himself against the wall.

Even so, he still clung tightly to Hanabi's slender body.

“Uesugi-kun…”

Hanabi Hanamaru was forced to turn her head away, her cheek pressed against his chest. A small hand frantically tried to squeeze upwards between the two of them, but it couldn't manage to get up.

The tram continued running, and the feeling of crowding quickly subsided. As Uesugi Kai recovered, she heard men apologizing from the other end of the tram.

It was clear that a man had accidentally bumped into someone during the crowd.

"Are you okay?"

"No...it's nothing..."

Hanabi Hanabi looked up into Kai Uesugi's eyes. Her face was rosy and lovely. Their eyes met, but there was no discomfort between them.

"Is Uesugi-kun... alright?"

"Yeah, it's nothing."