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

The wind whistled past her ears as she thanked the person on the other end of the phone, "Is there anything I need to do? Like... report in early or something?"

"No need," came the voice on the other end of the phone. "It might seem strange... but it's actually within acceptable limits..."

"I'm still very curious, why did you suddenly want to learn this?"

Kai Uesugi smiled and looked down. "It's nothing, just a small personal matter."

"Well, in that case, I won't ask any more questions. You can come tomorrow morning, but remember to come early, as you need to prepare some paperwork. Goodbye."

Kai Uesugi smiled as he looked at the end of the street ahead and said, "Okay, goodbye."

###Chapter 463 An Unexpected Person###

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This morning was a little different.

When Uesugi Kai woke up, his first instinct was to reach out and touch the room beside him. When his hand reached for nothing, he realized that he had slept in a different room the night before and that his wife was not with him.

Honestly, although sleeping alone isn't a big deal, it always makes you feel like something's missing.

Uesugi Kai tried to shake off these thoughts, sat up in bed, and went to the washroom to begin her daily morning routine.

Sunlight fell on her face. Stretching lazily in the corridor, Uesugi Kai sighed, went to the washbasin, turned on the tap, placed her hands under the water jets to test the temperature, and when she felt it was about right, scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on her face.

"Whoo~"

Uesugi Kai wiped the hot water off his face, placed his hands on the washstand, and looked up at himself in the mirror.

His hair was slightly curled up, and his face was wet; he was quite handsome.

He gave himself a confident smile, reached for a towel, and used it to dry his face with the hot water.

Just as she put down the towel, Uesugi Kai suddenly noticed Hanabi Hanabi standing at the bathroom door, still wearing her thick autumn fleece pajamas. She smiled and said to her:

"Good morning."

"Good morning," Hanabi Hanabi replied subconsciously, then looked at him with curious, somewhat dazed, violet eyes.

"What are you spacing out for?" Uesugi Kai reached out to flick her forehead, but suddenly remembered the rules of yesterday's dating game and withdrew his hand.

"Kai-kun..."

Hanabi Hanabi pointed to a bottle of facial cleanser that had just been opened next to the sink, "Kai-kun used Hanabi's facial cleanser."

"Huh?" Uesugi Kai clearly didn't realize what the problem was, her gaze shifting from the face wash to her face. "Is it unusable?"

“Well… it’s not impossible,” Hanabi Hanabi said, “but… if it’s a couple just starting out in a relationship… they’d probably ask each other first before using it…”

Kai Uesugi understood what she meant and continued, "Would you carefully ask the other person instead of just picking it up and using it like this?"

"Mm." Hanamaru Hanabi nodded.

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Kai realized that he really was that casual.

I used to use my wife's face wash every morning when I woke up; I had never bought this stuff myself.

"Then," Uesugi Kai asked her softly, "may I use it?"

"Hmm." Hanabi Hanamaru nodded. "It's alright."

……

The air remained still for several seconds.

Neither of them spoke.

Standing inside, Uesugi Kai felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange.

"I'm done washing up, let me go out for a bit."

"Okay." Hanabi Hanamaru took two steps back, making room for him.

Around seven o'clock, Hanabi Hanamaru finished her daily morning routine of simple grooming and walked from the washroom to the living room.

She noticed that Uesugi Kai was already sitting at the living room table, with a breakfast plate in front of her containing bread and hard-boiled eggs that had just been taken out of the pot.

"Is this all you eat for breakfast, Kai-kun?"

"Well, after all, it was agreed that I would make my own breakfast every morning." That's all Uesugi Kai knows how to make.

Hanabi Hanabi looked at the simple meal in front of him and felt a little worried: "Maybe... Kai-kun should just cancel the rule of eating breakfast separately every day."

I want that too!

Kai Uesugi thought to herself, but said it out loud in a tone that told her not to worry at all: "It's okay, bread and boiled eggs are fine, you'll be full and get enough nutrition."

"It feels like..." Hanabi Hanabi muttered, "It feels like Kai-kun is just putting on a brave face."

"How could I, Uesugi, be so stubborn? Don't worry." Uesugi Kai ate the breakfast bread he bought last night with a big smile on his face.

Wearing Shark Shark Pajamas, Hanabi nodded without saying anything more, and walked to the open kitchen next to the living room to start preparing her breakfast.

She placed the frying pan on the stove, turned on the heat, added a piece of butter, turned around and opened the refrigerator. Hanamaru Hanabi took out the minced meat she had chopped last night, the washed lettuce, as well as bread, pickles and cheese slices from the refrigerator.

Shake the butter in the pan evenly, while gently stirring it with a spatula, until a whole block of butter melts and spreads evenly on the surface of the pan.

With a sizzling sound, two pieces of bread were laid flat on the hot, scalding butter in the pan.

Hanamaru Hanabi used a spatula to flip the bread slices, and after frying them until both sides were fragrant and golden brown, she picked them up and set them aside. Then she used flour, egg whites, warm water and various spices to make a sticky meat patty from the minced meat, divided it into three pieces and fried them in a frying pan. The remaining pieces were sealed and put back into the refrigerator.

Meat patties, lettuce, cheese slices, bacon, pickles... After placing these items on the bread slices one by one, Hanamaru Hanahikara smiled and placed another slice of bread on top, clapping her hands together happily and saying:

"Beef and bacon sandwich, done!"

She seemed to have remembered something.

"Oh, and milk!"

After heating up another cup of milk, Hanabi Hanabi sat down in front of Kai Uesugi with her breakfast.

The aroma was enticing.

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but look up at the other side.

Special spiced beef patties...

The aroma of beef is enhanced by black pepper, chili powder, and cumin...

To be honest, Uesugi Kai smelled the aroma of meat as soon as Hanamaru Hanabi started frying the meat patties, and she was already craving it. Now, seeing her beautifully presented sandwich...

Kai Uesugi felt that the boiled egg in his mouth... suddenly lost all its flavor.

Tasteless, flavorless...

In the past, would Hanabi Sauce have made herself a portion of this?

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but start to imagine...

But he quickly came to his senses and realized a problem.

Wasn't this dating game your own idea? It's about starting over as a couple from the beginning, gradually building up affection, and then you taking the lead in winning over Hanabi again.

I'll figure out how to conquer the fireworks myself!

Instead of letting fireworks conquer you!

Asking her to cook for me? What kind of strategy is that?!

With that thought in mind, Uesugi Kai swallowed the egg yolk in his mouth, then picked up the cup next to him and gulped down the mineral water into his stomach.

Glug...glug...his throat kept moving.

"I'm finished eating!"

Kai Uesugi put down the cup, gathered the breakfast plates together, and placed them tightly in the kitchen, without glancing at Hanabi Hanabi, who was eating a sandwich with gusto.

After quickly washing the plates and cups, Uesugi Kai returned to her bedroom, picked up her laptop bag, and headed back towards the entrance.

Hanabi Hanamaru only heard him say, "I'm going out," before she never saw him again.

The girl took a bite of her sandwich, her puzzled eyes fixed on the front door where he had disappeared.

"Kai-kun...you seem to be in a real rush today..."

……

Uesugi Kai left, and Hanamaru Hanabi finished her breakfast shortly afterward.

She went back to her bedroom.

The air conditioning was on in the room, so it wasn't too cold. She unzipped the back of her Shark Shark pajamas right there and took them off completely, lifting her white feet out from the cuffs and stepping on them to the side.

Hanabi Hanabi hummed a cheerful tune as she picked out clothes from the closet, wondering, "What should I wear today?"

Dresses are out of the question; it's been a bit chilly these past few days, and everyone's started wearing scarves.

"Then..." Her fingers traced among the clothes, "This one will do!"

Finally, Hanabi Hanamaru chose a white school uniform shirt to match her outfit.

A beige wool knit cardigan, a red bow at the neckline, a plaid pleated skirt, a beige scarf, 100 denier white stockings, and a women's beret.

After zipping up the last zipper of her pleated skirt, Hanabi Hanabi began to examine herself in the mirror.

"Um......?"

She brought her face closer to the mirror, her violet eyes blinking as she looked at herself in the mirror, and lifted some strands of hair behind her ears.

Then, looking in the mirror, I pouted and squeezed my smiling face with my fists.

"Hmm...?"

Hanamaru Hanabi probably found it amusing to see herself like this, so she took a step back, placed one foot on the ground, and raised her other small, white, stocking-clad foot. She clenched her fists and brought them inward in front of her chest, while turning her face towards the mirror and puffing out her cheeks.

"Awoo~~"

The girl felt that this was not enough, so she raised her legs high and did a standing split, a difficult yoga pose.

However, she quickly blushed and gave up the action, seemingly remembering something as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Hanabi Hanamaru blushed and remained silent for a long time before finally shaking her head, taking her tablet and handbag for school, walking to the entrance, changing her shoes, and heading off to school.

Kai-kun left first today, so Hanabi Hanabi had to walk to the nearby Shirogane-Takanawa Station and then take the subway to Tokyo University of the Arts.

Hanabi Hanabi walked down the street in the early morning, carrying a handbag. The streets were mostly filled with office workers and students going to school.