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

“Since Hanabi-chan says equality is the rule, we can switch roles and have Kai-kun personally put collars on us as his 'toys'.”

The word "toy" seemed to whisper in the girl's ear.

"No, no. That's too strange," Hanabi Hanamaru shook her head firmly.

"Haha~ Since Hanabi-chan doesn't like hearing this, how about we get back to the main topic? Have you figured out how to meet Kai-kun without being discovered?"

Hanabi Hanabi shook her head. "Hanabi thinks it's better to end it sooner rather than later."

"No, Hanabi-chan, how can you do this? We agreed on ten days, just ten days, and you can't even stick to it?"

Hanabi Hanamaru looked up at another tram speeding away below the balcony, lost in thought.

The voice echoed in my mind again.

"How about this, we go and see Kai-kun? But I'll be the one to go see him. If you, Hanabi-chan, go see him, haha~ then needless to say, he'll easily pull you into his arms, and you'll go back to being as intimate as before. In the end, nothing will change, right? You can't be sure if Kai-kun likes you more."

"Hanabi thinks that it was fine the way it was before."

"Hanabi-chan, a mundane life will only wear down your will. Don't be fooled by people's words about how much they yearn for an ordinary life. Aren't they all just tired of ordinary life and that's why they want to find something different?"

"Gamblers go back to gambling, criminals go back to committing crimes, and otaku who like one female character will like the next. When they fall into it again and experience a huge drop in their expectations, they will miss the good old days, and so on, repeating the same mistakes."

"Everyone is looking for new excitement in the mundane. If something isn't novel enough and continues to be ordinary, it will be eliminated. This isn't anyone's fault; it's just that everyone does it this way."

"Putting everything else aside, didn't Kai-kun like Hanabi-chan even more because of my appearance? I'm looking forward to your appearance all the time."

"I know Hanabi-chan wants Kai-kun to remember her, so these few days apart are also to make him remember your goodness and cherish you even more."

"Tomorrow, we'll go find him tomorrow."

On the evening of the fifth day.

After finishing the cheap bento box she bought at the supermarket, Uesugi Kai went back to wash the clothes she had accumulated over the past few days.

Standing on the balcony under the night sky after hanging up the clothes, gazing at the Tokyo Tower not far away, one can only feel the chill of the night wind, carrying a chill that is hard to shake.

The weather is getting colder and colder. Has Hanabi-chan caught a cold while she was out?

After thinking about it for a while, Uesugi Kai placed her hands on the cold railing and looked at the night view of Tokyo from high above.

The high-rise buildings are brightly lit, and the streets are crowded with people. This area is a commercial district and is always quite lively.

A new ice cream shop recently opened downstairs, and it even has Hanabi's favorite chili flavor. Uesugi Kai wanted to take her there, but he hadn't had the chance to do so yet.

He was initially very excited when he heard the news about the fireworks that afternoon, and immediately asked about her whereabouts.

But after calming down, he realized that she might not want to see him.

After all, it was her suggestion to separate for ten days, and there's no point in finding her before that time is up.

It's only ten days, just ten days. We'll get through it soon. It's already the fifth day.

Kai Uesugi pulled his phone out of his pocket; it was a call from his father-in-law.

Did Hanabi tell you about what happened this afternoon?

The afternoon's events likely refer to the matter that was resolved by Kurohanabi.

Although Hanabi didn't tell him, he learned the general outline of what happened from that customer.

"Yes, I said it."

"Hanabi wasn't in a good state when she came to the police station. Remember to talk to her more at night."

“Okay.” Uesugi Kai thought this was a pretense that Kurohanabi was putting on for her father-in-law; that guy named Suzuki said she was laughing after she finished.

"I'll drive over to visit you later after I finish my work."

visit!?

"etc."

Before Uesugi Kai could finish speaking, Hanamaru Hiroki had already hung up the phone on the other end.

He stared at the phone screen that had jumped back to the lock screen and remained silent for a long time.

It's over.

My father-in-law is coming.

How should we explain the current situation?

Did you have a fight? Separate? Or did you bully her to the point that she ran away from home?

He promised his father-in-law that he would treat her well when they got married, but less than a month later, she disappeared without a trace.

She wasn't even there when she was "bullied" this afternoon, how can the elders believe her?

Kai Uesugi scratched his head, feeling extremely distressed about the matter.

He paused for a moment and began to think of a solution, but since Hanabi wasn't home, what explanation could he give for her absence?

She also encountered that kind of thing in the afternoon.

He didn't know about Hei Hua Huo; she tried her best to hide her existence from her family.

I imagine he behaved the same way as usual at the police station.

Unable to think of a reason, and with her father-in-law arriving soon, Uesugi Kai decided to tidy up the house first.

The lunch boxes from a few days ago are still piled up on the table and haven't been thrown away. I've kept several of them, and the bowls haven't been washed either.

When people live alone, they can indeed become lazy without realizing it.

I packed the trash on the table into a garbage bag and set it aside, then wiped the tabletop with a rag, mopped the floor, and washed the dishes. It took me half an hour to finish all these tasks.

Doorbell rang.

Kai Uesugi realized that his father-in-law had arrived, so he quickly went over and opened the door.

"I brought you some fruit, here you go." After handing the plastic bag to his son-in-law, Hanamaru Yuuki changed into slippers and entered the house, seemingly familiar with the place.

He was still wearing his police uniform, clearly having rushed over as soon as he finished his shift.

Looking at his father-in-law, Uesugi Kai didn't know what to say.

Hanamaru Yuuki looked up at him: "Why aren't you going in?"

"N-nothing," Uesugi Kai replied with difficulty.

Hanamaru Hiroki noticed something strange about his expression: "Are you hiding something, kid?"

"No."

Hanamaru Yuuki didn't hold it against him much, and started talking about what happened that afternoon:

"To be specific, it's nothing serious. When we were checking the surveillance footage, we found that all the electronic cameras in that area were broken. It was a troublesome thing, but the guy had no injuries, and Hanabi had witnesses to provide evidence, so he didn't have much of a chance to file a counter-suit. He's already been arrested."

"Those are things for later. The important thing is Hanabi. She's not doing well. Have you spoken to her about it?"

"."

"what happened?"

"I guess we've talked to her, she's fine."

Hanamaru Hiroki frowned: "Why are you stammering? Where's Hanabi? She didn't come out when I came in. She's not home?"

"Yes, it's not here."

Hanamaru Hiroki frowned: "Where is she? After what happened this afternoon, where could she have run off to?"

Kai Uesugi felt pressured by his father-in-law's series of questions.

Forget it, I'll just tell the truth.

We were separated for ten days.

"Separated? Did you have a fight?"

"That's right"

Hearing this, Hanamaru Hiroki felt much more at ease. "Why are your answers so ambiguous? What were you arguing about?"

"It's not entirely because Hanabi felt that we'd been together for too long and needed to separate for a while to keep things fresh."

"A strange logic, yet it actually makes some sense." Hanamaru Hiroki couldn't understand it. "But since that's the case, I'll still give you a piece of advice: even though the young girl says that, she definitely hopes you'll go to her. Have you gone to see her yet?"

"No."

"Are we just waiting for the ten-day agreement to be fulfilled?"

"Correct."

"I suggest you go see her. She must be in a bad mood after what happened this afternoon. How many days has it been since you two broke up?"

Not good?

Based on the customer's description, Uesugi Kai thought she should be in an excellent mood.

"The fifth day, tomorrow will be the sixth day."

"It's been almost a few days since we separated. You can try to go look for her. Even if you can't find her, she'll be happy to know. At least she'll have something to rely on and find comfort in."

"Mieko made dinner at home. Since Hanabi isn't here, I won't stay any longer. Come back and visit more often if you have time."

Hanamaru Hiroki left these words behind and turned to leave.

Kai Uesugi breathed a sigh of relief; his father-in-law wasn't as difficult to deal with as he'd imagined.

Perhaps it's because they're married that they're more lenient with each other? Unlike when they were dating, when they would be more attentive to each other.

After taking a bath, Uesugi Kai stared at the bathroom light above him, thinking about going to find Hanabi.

Hanabi-chan would probably want him to find it, but Kuro Hanabi might not.

It's still unknown which of the two personalities is more dominant in normal times, but based on what we know so far, Kuro Hanabi is more assertive.

The maid café has been getting busier lately, and he's worried he won't have time to go out and find fireworks.

After thinking about it for a while, Uesugi Kai got out of the bathtub, dried himself off, went to the bedroom, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

The next day, as usual, I went for a 10-kilometer run in the morning, and then rode my bicycle to Dongda University for school.

I had a lot of classes scheduled for today, and I didn't have time at all this morning. I wanted to skip class, but the professor was keeping a very close eye on me, so I didn't have a chance.

In the afternoon, I received another call from the store manager telling me to hurry up and get to work. I was in a real rush.