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

Before she could finish speaking, Uesugi Kai blurted out those words to her without hesitation. When he turned around, he saw her dazed and confused expression. He smiled slightly and continued pushing his bicycle forward.

Kai-kun...

Hanabi Hanamaru was caught off guard by his sudden answer, and her face flushed. After staring at his back for a while, she suddenly jumped off the back of the bicycle.

Uesugi Kai noticed her movement and stopped. As soon as he turned around, the girl was right next to his ear.

She looked at him, tiptoed, and whispered in his ear in a soft, shy voice:

"Hanabi... also likes Kai-kun the most."

Perhaps feeling that these words were too embarrassing to say, she quickly ran away after she finished speaking.

Kai Uesugi stood frozen in place, his mind replaying those soft words. After a long while, he finally pushed his bicycle forward and continued along the street.

Hanabi Hanabi followed closely behind, occasionally stealing glances at his back.

This atmosphere didn't last long before Uesugi Kai's voice slowly drifted from behind:

"Fireworks, with just that one simple sentence, you stole my heart."

"Kai-kun... your sweet talk is so corny..." Hanabi Hanamaru said cautiously, following behind him and watching his back.

"I'm so old-fashioned, so my sweet talk may be corny! I just hope you can understand that I'm sincere."

"Hanabi understands, she has always understood."

Hanabi Hanabi glanced at him again, "Hanabi thinks... Kai-kun hasn't been very happy these past few days... Even though he won the championship, Ai and Chii's custody is now with Mom... and... he's getting married soon..."

"Happy? Of course I'm happy."

Kai Uesugi turned and smiled at her, then looked back at the city street scene with its passing vehicles.

"I've been having this dream lately... Do you know, Firework? Life is a journey that never ends. We're all at the starting point, living happily and joyfully, but because the starting point is so beautiful, I'm afraid... Our journey will end in parting ways at the last moment... I can't accept a life without you."

“Kai-kun...you shouldn’t think so much…” Hanabi Hanamaru walked to his side and walked alongside him.

"Hmm... I shouldn't think about so many trivial things."

Hanabi Hanamaru looked down at his gait; when he moved forward, he used his right leg, while she used her left.

No, we can't do that.

Hanabi Hanamaru quickened her pace and adjusted her steps twice, attempting to step out with her right leg at the same time as him.

After pausing for a couple of steps, the two walked on together.

Uesugi Kai noticed her subtle movements, so he quickened his pace while making small movements, deliberately disrupting his own rhythm.

Hanabi Hanabi tilted her head to look at his smiling face, winked at him, and then quickly lowered her head, pouting as she continued to imitate him.

Kai Uesugi disrupted his footsteps several times, so much so that passersby who happened to see him didn't understand what the couple was doing or why they kept stomping their feet.

However, even so, Uesugi Kai was still stubbornly kept up with Hanamaru Hanabi.

They continued until both of them simultaneously stepped out with their right feet and moved forward in unison.

Kai Uesugi couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he gave up.

"Okay, Hanabi, you win."

Hanabi Hanabi felt a little happy at the girl's victory, "Kai-kun, what do you want to eat tonight?"

"Hmm... will you make me any kind of fireworks I want?"

"Yes, as long as Kai-kun can become happy and forget all his worries after eating the food Hanabi makes!"

Upon hearing these words, Uesugi Kai choked up, unsure of what to say to her.

He pushed his bicycle and said quietly:

"Fireworks... I love you."

"Hanabi loves you too... Kai-kun."

Hanabi Hanamaru happily hugged his arm, smiling sweetly with bliss.

###Chapter 386 Heading Towards the Wedding Night###

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

Kai Uesugi lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling of the room.

The ceiling was pitch black, yet it seemed as if all sorts of illusions were appearing.

He thought that getting married was clearly a very happy thing, the happiest moment in life.

But why is it that when that day is really approaching, I always feel a strange sadness in my heart?

Like cherry blossoms, they are stunningly beautiful when they fall in profusion, but at the same time, they are just cherry blossoms that have ended their life.

"Kai-kun..."

Kai Uesugi stared at the ceiling for a while, then suddenly heard a weak voice calling her name, so she turned around.

Hanabi Hanabi was looking at him at that moment, and by the moonlight from the window, she could see half of his profile clearly.

"What's wrong?" Uesugi Kai asked.

"Kai-kun... you're not asleep either?" Hanabi Hanamaru whispered.

"Hmm, I can't sleep." Uesugi Kai pulled the blanket up a little higher, covering her small shoulders.

"Even fireworks can't sleep..."

The two looked into each other's eyes and gazed at each other for a moment.

The night was quiet, and just that one simple glance was full of a girl's sweetness.

Hanabi Hanabi smiled at him first.

Kaiya Uesugi then laughed and reached out to pinch her cheek.

His fingertips touched her skin, and the moonlight reflected on her face was crystal clear and sparkling. He unconsciously pinched her skin with his fingertips, and the soft feeling seemed to seep into his heart through the lines between his index fingers, making him unforgettable.

"Kai-kun still likes to touch Hanabi's face..." Hanabi shrank her neck slightly, her small hands clutching the blankets in front of her collarbone.

She is lovely in front of me.

Her appearance reminded Uesugi Kai of a morning when they first started dating...

She was a bit silly, a delicate and timid girl.

As Uesugi Kai touched the contours of her face, it was as if he had returned to the past:

"How could I not like it... It's so comfortable... But I'm afraid that one day... I'll never see you smile at me again, never hear you call me Kai-kun again... Hanabi's voice is so sweet, so beautiful..."

Hanabi Hanabi gently rubbed against his hand that was stroking her cheek, closed her eyes, and whispered, "Kai-kun, don't think about these things. Hanabi is here, always here. Hanabi said she would always be by Kai-kun's side, and she always will."

"I understand... I just..."

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Uesugi Kai didn't know what to say.

Hanabi Hanamaru shifted her body, tilting her head against his chest, and said softly, "Kai-kun will soon be Hanabi's husband... Remember to take responsibility, okay? Hanabi has always loved him, always."

Hearing her gentle voice, Uesugi Kai was even more at a loss for words. He simply moved closer to her and hugged her tighter, wanting to feel the warmth and petiteness of her in his arms.

“Kai-kun... Hanabi was a very lonely person when she was little... She had no friends, no playmates... and was always disliked by everyone. But that day, Hanabi met Kai-kun and saw his hand reaching out to her... It was the first time she had ever seen someone reach out to her.”

He gently embraced the girl, listening to her tell stories as she closed her eyes.

"Later... when Hanabi was little, I don't know why... she had a crush on this older brother... When we first moved, my mom told me that he lived in the house next door, he was Hanabi's new neighbor, and his room was right across from hers, window to window. If Hanabi wanted to see... she could just lean on the windowsill and see what his room looked like..."

"Hanabi would often perch on the window. Her brother's room was very tidy... with lots of books... When Hanabi was little, she always felt that he was different from everyone else. He wouldn't play the games that everyone else liked, and he wouldn't go to the teacher to ask for snacks after class... He was the only one who wouldn't say that Hanabi's voice was unpleasant... He even reached out his hand to Hanabi that day... He was a very special person."

"Is that how Hanabi remembers me when she was little?" Uesugi Kai asked.

“Yes…” Hanabi nestled against his chest, her eyes closed, and answered softly, “One day, Mom took Hanabi, who was little, for a walk in the park… and met my brother and Aunt Uesugi. My brother was sitting under a tree reading a book… Mom greeted Aunt Uesugi, and Mom took Hanabi’s hand… and asked Hanabi to be friends with my brother.”

"When Hanabi was little, she had no friends... I don't know if my brother would be willing to be friends with her... Everyone said that Hanabi's voice was soft and unpleasant... So when Hanabi went over, she only dared to sit down next to her brother with her head down and didn't dare to say a word."

"Mom and Auntie were chatting happily up ahead... My brother seemed oblivious to Hanabi, he was just engrossed in his book... Hanabi was scared around him, worried that he was being disliked again... But to my delight, my brother started talking to me..."

He said to Hanabi, "Do you want some candy?"...Hanabi looked up...and nodded timidly...then saw her brother take out a gummy candy from his pocket..."Hand, hold out your hand," her brother reminded her after a long silence...

"Hanabi only then realized what was happening, and stupidly stretched out her hands... Hanabi was still a little afraid to see her brother's face, so she only dared to look at her own outstretched hands... After a while, a gummy candy appeared in her hands... It was from her brother... After giving her the candy, her brother... went back to reading... Only then did Hanabi dare to look up and secretly peek at him..."

"My brother is very quiet...he doesn't like to talk...Hanabi saw the candy in her hand...and thought that her brother probably didn't dislike her..."

"The gummy candy is sweet... It's just an ordinary candy... But Hanabi feels that this sweet candy is a little different from the candies Mom usually buys. The one my brother gave me... seems to be sweeter..."

"My brother is a good person...that's what Hanabi thought when she was little...but she still didn't know if her brother was willing to be her friend...so she only dared to sit quietly next to him...and occasionally she would steal glances at him."

"From the day she tasted the candy... Hanabi cared even more about her brother... In the morning, she would secretly peek at him from the windowsill to watch him get up, and at night she would secretly watch him read and sleep... Sometimes, her brother would glance at Hanabi after getting dressed in the morning... Several times in a row, Hanabi was so scared that she quickly shrank back down..."

"Hanabi doesn't really like mornings... because she has to go to school in the morning... Hanabi doesn't like school... every time she goes to school, Hanabi can only hide in a corner by herself during recess..."

"But today was different... When Mom left, she took Hanabi's hand and led her to my brother's house. My brother stood behind my aunt, and Hanabi hid behind Mom. After Mom spoke a few words to my brother and aunt, she turned back to Hanabi and smiled, saying, 'From now on, Hanabi-chan will go to school with Kai-kun.' 'Go to school... together?' Hanabi, hiding behind Mom, secretly glanced at my brother... He... didn't seem to dislike Hanabi..."

"From that day on, Hanabi went to school with her brother... Mom asked her brother to take care of Hanabi... Auntie said the same thing... But Hanabi wanted to know... if she could be friends with her brother... if they could play together..."

Hanabi followed behind her brother... not daring to say a word... afraid that her disliked voice would make her brother start to dislike her too...

"One day, two days, three days. On the third day of going to school together, my brother suddenly asked Hanabi, 'Don't you like to talk?' Hanabi shook her head. My brother then asked, 'What do you like to eat?' Hanabi was worried that her voice didn't sound good... but my brother asked her again... so Hanabi could only whisper, 'Spicy things.'"

"You like spicy food? Hmm, that's good, but why are you speaking so softly?"

'No, it doesn't sound good...'

"Not good? No, I think it's quite nice. It's just a child's voice, a little soft."

As Hanabi Hanabi spoke these words, Kai Uesugi also recalled what he was like back then.

He held Hanamaru Hanabi in his arms and asked her:

"So, how did you come to like me?"

“It’s very simple…” Hanabi Hanamaru replied, “Every afternoon, my brother saves the snacks that the teacher gives out for Hanabi to eat… When we pass by Grandpa Yoshitake’s shop after school, he also buys Hanabi some spicy snacks… Nobody really likes Hanabi, so Hanabi has no choice but to play with my brother.”

Kai Uesugi remembered Hanabi, the little tagalong from before.

She was sullen, and often stared longingly at the candy inside the convenience store when she passed by.

It's a pity about the little shop in front of the elementary school.

It's gone now...