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

A cool autumn breeze was blowing.

Kai Uesugi leaned his elbow against the railing of the overpass, put on his headphones, and heard a small, soft, and gentle voice coming from them:

"Kai-kun...the fireworks are here...you can take them out and listen to them when you miss fireworks."

Hanabi Hanabi's voice was laughing, and her face was bathed in the same radiance as at that moment.

Kai Uesugi recalled that day; the sunlight in the mountains flashed across her face, and the swaying green leaves overlapped with her smiling face.

She suddenly turned around with a smile, her white dress billowing up.

She walked briskly down the mountain along the path beside the stream, her footsteps light on the stones.

###Chapter 356 Striving for a Wedding Home###

"Kai-kun... what's wrong...?"

Hearing the weak voice asking beside her, Uesugi Kai shook her head, staring at the lean meat porridge in front of her and muttering:

"It's nothing, I just thought the breakfast was delicious."

"It's very ordinary."

“Ordinary,” Kai Uesugi said, pondering the word in his mind, before continuing, “No, not ordinary at all.”

Suddenly, Uesugi Kai turned his head and, taking advantage of the sunlight dappling his face, smiled:

"If I could eat such delicious food every day, I would be completely satisfied."

Hanabi Hanamaru is the kind of girl who gets happy inside just from receiving a little praise.

Unfortunately, she rarely showed it.

"...As long as Kai-kun likes it..."

Breakfast is often the most heartwarming time, and the sunlight seems especially refreshing at this time.

Just as Uesugi Kai took a bite of pickled vegetables with his thin porridge, he suddenly found a piece of bacon wrapped in lettuce in his bowl.

It's a small thing, but it's full of a young girl's exquisite patience and thoughtfulness.

This is something she learned from her mother.

As for the taste, there's not much to say.

Uesugi Kai picked up the piece with chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

Turning her head, Hanabi was eating her breakfast with a bit of shyness.

Aiyi, sitting opposite, was swinging her legs up and down in a chair.

"Sister Hanabi is so good to her brother."

It's really good.

As Uesugi Kai ate the bacon and vegetable roll, a sweet honey flavor lingered on his lips.

He smiled and said:

"In a few days, there will be a fireworks festival over the Meguro River. Hanabi-neechan will be dancing at the festival. Ai and Chiai, remember to come and cheer her on!"

"Good~"

Doorway,

The two walked down the street as usual.

Hanabi Hanabi walked beside him, her round-toed leather shoes light and agile. She glanced at his face, then quickly buried her face in his, shifted her feet to the left, and reached out her index finger to hook his hand.

You were quite proactive today.

Yesterday, I said I needed to do some self-reflection, that I shouldn't be a lewd firework, and that we should sleep in separate beds for a few days.

Unexpectedly, their true colors were revealed after just one night.

Kai Uesugi took her cool little hand in his.

Why are your hands so cold?

"I don't know, but if Kai-kun holds it, it will warm up very quickly."

She was very shy, and these were words she wouldn't normally say, but she said them anyway, just in a very soft voice.

"Then you can rest assured, I'll keep you warm." Uesugi Kai tried to speak slowly, making her feel more at ease.

This was clearly very effective; she did not resist and let him hold her.

“When I used to walk next to Kai like this, I felt like there was nothing to be afraid of.”

"now what?"

"I still like him very much now. It's so good to have Kai-kun."

"Does this mean Hanabi is stuck with me for life?" Uesugi Kai asked with a smile, standing with her under the train platform.

Hanabi Hanabi held his hand and stood carefully hidden by the platform, not wanting anyone to see them.

"Didn't Kai-kun say back in elementary school that he would definitely marry Hanabi?"

"You actually believe what they say to coax a child?"

"If Kai-kun doesn't agree, Hanabi will stick with Kai-kun for the rest of her life."

The train arrived, and Uesugi Kaiya turned his head and smiled at the girl who was half a head shorter than him, saying:

"It's good that you're here, so I can remember you forever."

Kai Uesugi and Hanabi Hanamaru boarded the train together.

The two people held onto the handrails, and as the announcement was made, the train doors slowly closed.

The gap that had closed finally fell onto the girl's shyly holding hand.

The tram swayed and began to move forward again.

"Kai-kun is so nice..."

Why are you suddenly saying that?

Although no one on the train could hear her, Uesugi Kai still clearly heard her soft words.

Hanamaru Hanabi didn't answer his question, but instead muttered to herself quietly:

"Kai-kun will also be here to celebrate the fireworks this year, it's a promise."

"Don't worry, I remember."

"Kai-kun, remember to come..."

Kai Uesugi detected the "request" in her voice and subconsciously nodded in agreement.

"Of course. Hanabi wouldn't have prepared some kind of gift, would she?"

"No... Kai-kun, do you want some?"

"Of course I want to, but I want you to be happy even more. How about this, I'll also give you a gift. Let's not let the other person know. On the day of the fireworks festival, we'll watch the fireworks together and then give it to each other, okay?"

The tram made a sound as it moved along the tracks.

Hanabi Hanamaru's face immediately lit up with a bright smile when she thought of that time:

"it is good!"

Halfway through the train journey, Hanamaru Hanabi had to change trains to go to the shrine.

The tram doors opened, but she was still reluctant to leave, her slender little hand holding his.

"Kai-kun, Hanabi is leaving now."

Have a safe journey.

Hanabi Hanamaru's beautiful figure disappeared into the bustling station.

Kai Uesugi watched.

Whenever she left the station in such an ordinary way, he felt a warm feeling in his heart.

He doesn't believe in God.

But if there truly are gods, he would sincerely pray every day.

Dear God, if this is a dream, please let it continue forever!

Whether rich or poor, as long as Huabi is by my side, as long as I can see her smile, that's enough.

Kai Uesugi looked through the gap in the closed train doors and saw his reflection in the glass mirror. The thought of spending the fireworks festival with her again this year, and the smiles from past fireworks displays, made him smile.

------

Make money, make money.

Kai Uesugi is determined to win this year's kendo championship.

Aside from the elusive lottery, the 100 million yen prize, which is within his grasp, is what he urgently desires now.

With money, we can buy a wedding house, and then in the evening we can have dinner together with Hanabi, Ai-chan, and the others, gazing at the brightly lit Tokyo outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Round of 16 to 8, Round of 8 to 4.

If you make it to the semifinals, you can represent the Kanto region in the national competition.

Hokkaido, Tohoku region, Kanto region, Chubu region, Kinki region, Chugoku region, Shikoku region, Kyushu region, Okinawa.

Each region will have four teams, making the competition even fiercer.

Uesugi Kai and his senior's team have already won one game, and one more win will put them in the winners' bracket semifinals.

Finally, the four teams will be seeded based on their accumulated points in the Kanto region.

Even teams that lose at the beginning of the game will not be without a chance. The eight teams in the loser's bracket will compete against the fourth-place team in the winner's bracket for a qualifying spot.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Kai Uesugi.

Unless they rank fourth.

Tokyo Gymnasium, Shibuya Ward.