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

"Kai-kun..."

That weak voice... that warm touch instantly spread from her hand throughout her entire body. She didn't say anything more, but that single, weak cry was enough to blur Uesugi Kai's vision...

This is good...this is good...

----------

This is a dream, an immersive dream.

Kai Uesugi stood in front of the tombstone and picked up the lilies that had fallen to the ground.

There was a price to pay for this dream, but he thought it was worth it.

Because just ten times, just ten times... and the fireworks will come back.

As Uesugi Kai looked at the name on the tombstone, a force of hope and longing ignited within him.

It's strange, in just a short while... my state of mind changed completely from the previous second.

He held up the umbrella, put down the lilies, and reached out to touch the name on the stone tablet, which was soaked with rainwater:

"Fireworks... I'll bring you back..."

--------

sunset.

"Will my brother come to pick up my sister and me today?"

Noriko Uesugi ruffled Ai's hair and asked with a smile, "Does Ai like him that much?"

“My brother is very good,” Ai Yi replied with a smile.

"What's so good about it?"

"Ugh, I can't really explain it, but I just like it, and I'm sure my sister feels the same way."

"Hmm... your brother is doing very well... but what happened to Hanabi-neechan... has been a huge blow to him, so Ai-yi and Chi-ai-yi must help your aunt keep an eye on him, okay?"

Ai asked sadly, "Is Hanabi-neechan... really gone?"

Noriko Uesugi paused, as if recalling something, and nodded stiffly, "Um... she's gone."

Doorbell rang.

Kai Uesugi unlocked the door and walked in.

"Ah-Zhao, where have you been these past few days?"

Kai Uesugi seemed a little slow to react, and it took him a long time to reply: "I just... went out for a walk to clear my head and look for inspiration for my writing."

Aiyi ran up to him, looking up at his little face with a puzzled expression.

"Brother... he seems to have gotten so much bigger."

"Yeah...?"

"Yeah, he looks like a young middle-aged man."

Kai Uesugi reached out and ruffled her hair, saying, "Uncle is uncle, what do you mean by young uncle? Besides, I'm not that old, I'm only twenty this year."

It got bigger?

After Ai-yi said that, Noriko Uesugi also began to look at her son.

"It seems... I really have gotten older...? I don't feel like I'm twenty... but... I look like I'm twenty-four or twenty-five."

Qian Aiyi nodded her little head: "Yes, brother has grown bigger."

"Haha, maybe it's just your imagination," Uesugi Kai said with a laugh.

Noriko Uesugi didn't think much of it, only assuming that he had gone out for a while, endured wind and rain, and looked unwell.

"Stay for dinner tonight and then take Aiyi and the others back."

"Row."

Kai Uesugi did not reject what his mother said.

The meals at home were very warm and cozy, but for Kai Uesugi, there was always something missing in her heart.

Noriko Uesugi noticed it.

"Ah-Zhao... how about Mom goes and finds you another one..."

Kenichi Uesugi kicked Noriko Uesugi's chair with his foot, saying, "What are you saying? Eat."

Noriko Uesugi immediately realized that she was being overly concerned. After being reminded by Kenichi Uesugi, she stopped talking and could only sigh silently in her heart.

Cheer up, son...

--------

This weekend, that is, in three days, on October 15th.

Otsu arrived at Uesugi Kai's house as promised. Uesugi Kai had told him in advance that he could come and pick up the manuscript documents.

Although in modern society such matters can be resolved through online transmission, the publishing house where Otsu works is more traditional. They obtain materials directly from the authors and do not transmit them online, citing concerns about text theft.

He arrived at Kai Uesugi's house and, as before, rang the doorbell.

About two minutes later, Uesugi Kai came down the stairs and opened the door.

"Sorry to bother you, Uesugi-sensei," Otsu greeted politely with a bow.

Kai Uesugi stood in the entryway and tossed the USB drive to him. "Here, this is Volume Three."

Seeing that he had actually thrown it, Otsu hurriedly caught it with both hands, "Uesugi-sensei, be careful!"

“Words aren’t that delicate,” Uesugi Kai said.

"But this is a USB flash drive! An electronic device!"

"I have a backup."

Looking at the USB drive in his hand, Otsu tentatively asked, "How far have you gotten with Uesugi-sensei's third volume?"

"get married."

"So fast!?"

“Hmm.” Uesugi Kai nodded calmly.

"But in the second volume you've only written up to... uh... you haven't even written about holding hands yet!"

"Characters need to evoke emotion, but emotion cannot be repeated, so the length of the story must be shortened. For example, if the scene of holding hands is written once, readers will not feel anything the second time they read it."

Otsu still felt it shouldn't be like that; the story should be longer, and more slice-of-life content would be nice.

Otsu is a new editor in charge of Uesugi Kai. He has just graduated from university and is not only an editor but also a reader. He still has a passion for novels. Unlike his older colleagues who only look at how the author uses the plot and the reasonable use of conflict, he puts himself in the story and experiences it as the protagonist.

"Mr. Uesugi, is there any special meaning behind the title 'Musōhōji' that you chose for the book...?"

"Literally, it means Fang Temple outside the window in the dream. Didn't I initially write that the male protagonist saw Fang Temple through the window?"

"real..?"

"real."

"What about Volume 4...? Do you have any special plans, Uesugi-sensei?"

"Come back in a month."

“Alright, then I’ll head back now. Sorry to bother you, Uesugi-sensei.” Otsu bowed slightly to him.

"Ah."

Kai Uesugi glanced at him, then turned around and closed the door.

He went upstairs to the second floor, lay back on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

He picked up the mirror from the bedside table, looked at himself in the mirror, and found a white hair on the end of his black hair.

There was no other way... he could only place his hopes on this...

He wanted to see it again... to see the fireworks smile at him again...

......

A month has passed.

After the release of the third volume, the author of Mengchuang Fangsi was severely criticized.

Some people even held up banners and ran to the area below the publishing house to protest loudly.

The reason is that it was too short. They felt they hadn't seen enough of each other yet, and suddenly they got married, even though there had been enough emotional build-up and it seemed quite logical.

But while reading it, I always felt a sense of emptiness inside.

It's awful!

However, the main reason is that the plot foreshadows a bad ending.

Nobody wants to see that scene.

Yokokawa Publishing's editor-in-chief, Utsunomiya, glanced at the remaining crowd and turned to the newcomer who had recently joined the company:

“Otsu-san, this matter... you still need to talk to Uesugi-sensei again and ask him to write a little more.”

What could Otsu possibly do... there was nothing he could do.

He could only agree to go and talk to Uesugi Kai in person again.

After taking the tram and transferring twice, Otsu arrived at the door of Uesugi Kai's house once again.

When he saw Uesugi Kai again, his eyes suddenly widened.

"Mr. Uesugi, you..."

The teacher has truly become a teacher.

This was originally a title of respect, but now... Uesugi Kai looks older than him... probably around 30 years old, like an uncle...

How could this be?

Just a month ago, he was a young college student who looked to be in his early twenties.

"How could this be?"