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

Very strange.

【Hana-maru Hanabi】reached out and pinched her stomach.

"You've gained a little weight; I guess you've been eating too many snacks lately."

【Hana Maru Hanabi】pulled her legs out of the blankets; delicate white jade, lotus-like feet—that's exactly what describes the girl's legs.

But why does it still feel strange?

【Hanamaru Hanabi】couldn't help but sigh.

He turned his head and noticed that Hanabi Hanamoto, who was sleeping in beside him, frowned.

"Kai-kun..."

Okay, even Xiaohuahuo's voice sounded weak.

However, no matter how you hear your own voice, you can't escape the word "strange".

"Alright, lazybones, get up."

[Hana Maru Hanabi] sat on the bed and reached out to pat her face.

"Kai-kun...?"

"Get up quickly, get up quickly."

"Kai-kun...your voice...it sounds so much like Hanabi's..."

Hanabi rubbed her eyes, and her blurred vision gradually cleared.

When she saw the person in front of her clearly, she immediately froze.

"Fireworks?"

What is the purpose of Chapter 364?

Shinjuku Ward, Tonchukuo Daishin

Although the name sounds like "street bar," it's actually the name of an izakaya (Japanese pub).

Kai Uesugi stood at the door, looking through the curtains hanging at the entrance at the scene inside the izakaya. Although it was afternoon, there were quite a few customers drinking there, and an uncle wearing a white headscarf was busy fanning the fire inside.

Upon seeing Uesugi Kai enter, the shop owner loudly greeted them with "Welcome!"

"Would you like something to eat?" A neat-looking waitress walked up to him.

"No need, I'll find someone."

After dismissing the waiter, Uesugi Kai scanned the restaurant and, based on the information given over the phone, located table number 5.

A young man was sitting there.

It must be that lawyer.

Kai Uesugi glanced at him.

He was dressed in a gray casual suit, and his hair was styled meticulously; he wasn't the typical lawyer in a suit and tie.

Kai Uesugi walked over, pulled out a stool, and sat down in front of him.

“Mr. Uesugi,” the young man then smiled at him, “hello, I am Genji Sasahara.”

Kai Uesugi didn't want to say much and went straight to the point:

"Speak, what are your demands?"

Gen'i Sasahara smiled, a wine glass steaming in front of him. He picked it up and said, "Want some? Kubota, a very old brand. It's mild and spicy with a smooth taste. I don't think I need to introduce it much."

Kai Uesugi glanced at her and said, "I'm a minor."

“Mr. Uesugi, my client naturally wants you to relinquish custody of those two children.”

Uesugi Kai was silent for a moment, then said, "Why did your client do this? In other words, what does he want?"

"I just want custody of the child."

"impossible."

If it's just the lawyer hired by Ai Yiqian's mother, then it's possible to claim guardianship.

But it's clear that when the yakuza are involved, things become much more complicated.

“Mr. Uesugi, Ms. Iwashita is still the mother of those two. Even if you hire a lawyer from Hamada Matsumoto Law Firm, you don’t have much of a chance of winning. Mr. Uesugi, if you are willing to give up, my client is willing to pay you a fee of five million yen.”

Are you still willing to pay?

Uesugi Kai was increasingly confused. Ai and Chi Ai's mother were dirt poor, so where did they get the money?

After finishing his sake, Sasahara Gen'i smiled again and said:

"Mr. Uesugi, you can consider it for a few days. My client will wait for your reply. Letting the child return to his mother is always the right choice."

After saying these words, Sasahara Genji rose, bowed to Uesugi Kai, and walked out of the izakaya first.

Uesugi Kai thought for a while but couldn't figure it out, so he left.

The sky was exceptionally clear and bright today; it's rare to see such a clear blue sky in Tokyo.

Instead of taking the tram, Uesugi Kai hailed a taxi on the street to go home.

The taxi driver, wearing white gloves, got out of the car himself to open the door for him.

The driver was a middle-aged man, and his face was full of resignation to life, a stark contrast to the izakaya owner's radiant demeanor as he greeted customers.

Kai Uesugi got into the taxi, and after the older man closed the door for him, he immediately sat back in the driver's seat.

The vehicle moved slowly through the bustling city center of Tokyo.

In Japan, taxis have a small white sign on the dashboard that displays the driver's name, license plate number, and company.

The man's name was Ichikawa Takao. While they were in the car, Uesugi Kai struck up a conversation with him.

"How many years has Mr. Ichikawa been driving a taxi?"

The middle-aged man, gripping the steering wheel, nodded and replied, "If we go by September of this year, it will be the eleventh year."

How many hours do you work each day?

Uncle Ichikawa replied in a very polite tone: "Well... the time is not very fixed, but the cost will be about 20% higher if you drive at night. Generally, it is from 3 pm to 5 am the next day, which is about 14 hours."

"That long? Is there a weekend off?"

"Yes, you can choose to rest."

Uncle Ichikawa seemed eager to talk to someone, and seeing that Kai Uesugi had spoken up, he began to talk to himself.

"I can earn about a million yen a month, but the company takes a 40% cut of the transportation costs, so I only get about 600,000 yen a month."

Kai Uesugi listened and nodded.

A university professor's monthly salary is less than 500,000 yen.

This shows that being a taxi driver in Tokyo is a high-paying job, although it's quite tiring.

"Sigh, if it weren't for the law that you can't run more than 365 kilometers a day, I would want to run more time every day and earn more money."

The older man sighed, and Uesugi Kai, listening, also felt moved, realizing that this was just ordinary life.

In middle age, one has to pay rent, support a wife and children, and bear the burden of various expenses such as water and electricity bills, living expenses, medical expenses, children's tuition fees, and support for parents.

"Your family must respect you very much, Mr. Ichikawa."

The car stopped at the traffic light, and Uncle Ichikawa replied with a smile, "Actually, I'm single."

"Aren't you married?"

"I was married, but now I'm divorced. It lasted for over a year..." Uncle Ichikawa continued, driving. "Before, I worked in electronics sales, specifically selling massage devices to customers. I had a salary, and a commission for each device I sold..."

"Because of the nature of my work, I can't stay in one place for too long when I'm doing door-to-door sales. I need to go to other cities to develop new clients. I used to travel a lot for work, sometimes not being home for more than ten or twenty days a month... I didn't even go back once when my child was born. I guess that's why my wife chose to divorce me."

Uncle Ichikawa spoke these things very casually, probably having come to terms with it.

"Isn't your son with you?"

"The court awarded custody to his mother. The last time I saw him... ah, let me think, it was about three... four... um, four years ago. He's very busy. Every time I call, he's doing his homework. Now I just want to earn more money to give him more child support, and when he gets into university, I'll give him a car."

“Now that my job is more stable, I’ve thought about going to his mother to remarry him… but when I called her, she said it was impossible.”

Uncle Ichikawa shook his head as he spoke.

"Mr. Uesugi should still be in school at his age, right?"

"Yes, I'm currently in university."

"Tokyo?"

"Yes, Tokyo."

"Let me guess, um... Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology?"

"No."

"Meiji?"

"Not at all."

Uncle Ichikawa pondered for a moment: "Could it be Sophia University or Gijuku University? Those universities are very difficult to get into."

"It's Tokyo University."

"Tokyo University?! That's impressive!"

"It's alright. I'm not that smart, and I spent half a semester preparing for the exam."

"That's impressive enough. I'll never understand that bunch of nonsensical characters."

After that, Uncle Ichikawa started talking about his son, saying that he was also working hard to prepare for the exam and that he hoped his son would become a doctor or a lawyer in the future.

Although the older man spoke very warmly, Uesugi Kai could always sense the distance between his son and him in his words.

Upon arriving at his destination, Uncle Ichikawa warmly opened the door for him himself.

Watching his car disappear from sight, Uesugi Kai turned and walked to the door, took out his keys and opened it.

"I am back."