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

After politely bowing and saying "Excuse me," she turned to Uesugi Kai beside her and asked:

"Aren't Auntie and Uncle home?"

"Yeah, they're still as busy as ever."

Kai Uesugi tried to pull his gaze away from her tempting, sinister ankles and turned on the living room light.

The light instantly brightened the dim room.

Hanabi Hanabi looked around, finally fixing her gaze on Kai Uesugi, who was looking at her, and asked:

"Kai-kun asked Hanabi to come over so he can help her with her studies?"

"..."

"Yes,"

Kai Uesugi's heart fluttered slightly at her beautiful figure. He took her hand again, feeling her soft body. "Hanabi, do you want to take tutoring in Japanese or math?"

Hanabi Hanamaru was the kind of girl who would blush at the slightest touch, and she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye: "Math...math, Kai-kun is really good at math, it'll be easier for him to teach Hanabi..."

"Are you confident about being in the top ten in the monthly exam, as Mr. Haneda mentioned?" Uesugi Kai affectionately held her soft right hand, enjoying the touching sensation, and suddenly wanted to move his body closer to her.

"Yes...yes..." Hanabi Hanamaru felt a little flustered as he pinched her.

"How about... we don't have tutoring today?"

Although he wanted to say that, Kai Uesugi knew he shouldn't bully her, who was so weak.

He led her by the hand to the living room and sat her down at the carpeted coffee table. Everything in the room was brightly lit under the lamplight.

Kai Uesugi habitually turned on the TV, wanting the sound to fill the room and liven up the atmosphere a bit.

He had always done this to alleviate his loneliness.

After putting down her shoulder bag, Hanabi Hanabi asked Kai Uesugi, who was standing in front of her:

"Aren't you hungry, Kai-kun?"

"I am a little hungry."

When Uesugi Kai answered her, he glanced at the watch on his wrist.

18:12:23

"Does Kai-kun have any food at home? If not, Hanabi can help cook." Hanabi looked up at him.

food?

There's really not much food at home. At times like this, besides going to Hanamaru's house for a meal, I either eat two cup noodles by myself or a discounted bento box from the supermarket to fill my stomach and that's it.

"Instant noodles and discounted bento boxes, do they count?" Uesugi Kai asked with a hint of anticipation.

Hanabi Hanabi sensed his inexplicable expectation and smiled, "Hanabi, let's make dinner for Kai-kun."

"Just the two of us eating together?" Uesugi Kai actually wanted to inform his aunt.

Hanabi Hanabi understood what he was thinking, and her smile was quite charming: "If Kai-kun is willing, Mom will agree."

"Ah."

Kai Uesugi suddenly remembered that she didn't have any ingredients at home that Hanabi could prepare. "How about we go out for a bit?"

Why?

"Because the only edible things in the house, besides eggs, are bread."

After eating potato curry every morning for a week, Kai Uesugi and Kenichi Uesugi decided to protest against Noriko Uesugi.

Therefore, even the potatoes that were the only ones left in the house were gone.

Hanabi Hanamaru stood up from her seated position, her slender yet shapely legs were very attractive. At this moment, she was still wearing the sailor uniform from Shingoku High School.

"What would you like to eat tonight, Kai-kun? I can make it for you."

As Uesugi Kai stared at her smiling face, he also glanced at her slender legs out of the corner of his eye, and said:

"Let's go to the supermarket first."

The television, which had just been turned on, had to be turned off immediately.

------

Everything in the Kandagawa residential area is very convenient, and the supermarket is not far from their home.

Walking uphill along the private path filled with the scent of pink cherry blossoms, after more than ten minutes, you will arrive at a very modern large supermarket.

The lights were bright, and you could see a dazzling array of fruits and vegetables inside.

During this time of year, many housewives come to buy groceries, and once inside Uesugi Kai, the high prices of fruits are clearly visible.

Assorted grapes——970 yen/bunch

Apples - 127 yen each

Strawberries - 497 yen/small box

Watermelon - 697 yen/segment

Pineapple - 297 yen/each

Compared to fish (which is not considered meat), these fruits are priced in a completely different league.

Furthermore, the prices of these fruits fluctuate significantly with the changing seasons.

However, Hanabi didn't seem to care about any of that, and casually took two boxes of strawberries and put them into Uesugi Kai's small basket.

Why would someone who clearly loves spicy food also be so fond of strawberries?

Kai Uesugi didn't ask any questions and silently followed behind her. When he came to this kind of supermarket, he would at most browse the semi-finished food section and pick out some familiar bento boxes.

Salmon bento, hamburger bento, fried chicken bento, fried steak bento...

These items come in large boxes, and most are priced around 400 yen, which is incredibly affordable for a meal.

Chapter Seventy-Six: Kai is caught in a crisis it shouldn't be in.

However, today he doesn't have to eat those affordable but tired-of fast food bento boxes. He's enjoying a meal that Hanabi made just for him, so he has to think about what to eat today.

"What would you like to eat, Kai-kun?"

Hanabi Hanamaru asked the same question.

As the daughter of Hanamaru Mieko, a housewife, she plans the amount of groceries she buys according to the types of vegetables, so there is very little waste.

However, Kai Uesugi's culinary skills are not to be underestimated. When it comes to food, apart from the potato curry he ate for a week, the taste memories of other foods have faded a lot, causing his indecisiveness to make him completely unsure of what to eat.

Let Hanabi Hanamaru make the decision:

"You choose the fireworks, I'll listen to you tonight."

"Just don't make it too spicy," he quickly added.

"Kai-kun, don't you want to eat spicy food?" Hanabi Hanamaru's soft voice carried a hint of regret, but she quickly quieted down and tilted her head in deep thought.

Kai Uesugi was afraid of ending up in the hospital.

For over ten years here, I've mostly eaten sweet and soft foods, as well as instant noodles and fast food bento boxes.

I've hardly ever touched chili peppers.

Logically speaking, it's very difficult to buy chili peppers as spicy as those from Hanamaru in Japan.

"How about sukiyaki...?" Hanabi Hanamaru whispered.

"Is this for two people?" Speaking of sukiyaki, Uesugi Kai thought of the super-sized sukiyaki that Mrs. Hanamaru made.

"Mmm," Hanabi Hanabi nodded her little head, "The portion size is just right, and the taste is not spicy at all, which meets Kai-kun's requirements."

"Row."

Uesugi Kai, carrying a small basket, followed Hanamaru Hanabi as she selected konjac noodles, grilled tofu, napa cabbage, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, carrots, and beef to use as ingredients for sukiyaki.

Under the watchful eyes of many housewives, the two high school students, who clearly attended the same school, walked out of the supermarket.

As for paying for the groceries... it was Huahuo who paid...

Kai Uesugi had put her wallet in her schoolbag and hadn't realized it when she brought Hanabi to the supermarket.

So much so that he saw her secret stash of money again—the 20 yen she always carried with her.

This is something that Kai Uesugi, who is very frugal and would even skimp on spending 500 yen at the park, is really envious of.

Then consider the high-ranking official position that Hanamaru Hiroki revealed.

Does this mean I'm being kept by a rich girl?

My childhood sweetheart is actually a weak and spoiled rich girl?

He had even conceived the core plot: the protagonist, relying on his childhood friend status, would constantly exploit his childhood sweetheart's wallet and heart, until eventually everything about her would also succumb to that continuous oppression.

After a mental image flashed through dozens of gigabytes, Uesugi Kai returned to reality.

The sweet fragrance of lilies had once again filled my nostrils.

The shy Hanabi Hanabi walked beside me, the breeze from the Kanda River swaying her short hair, her delicate face adorned with a pleasing nose and eyebrows.

She was admiring the cherry blossoms in the spring night on the embankment beside her.

Kai Uesugi felt that these blooming cherry blossoms, extending inwards, were embellishing her pure beauty.

"Want to hold hands?" he couldn't help but ask.

This seemingly unreal girl revealed genuine expressions and actions.

She nodded shyly and demurely extended her right hand:

"Um......"

Kai Uesugi looked at her flushed cheeks, smelled the sweet scent of cherry blossoms and lilies, and slowly reached out his left hand towards her.

Fingertips hooked together.

And gradually climbed upwards, his five fingers slowly and deliberately weaving through the gaps, prying open her shyly closed fingers.

Soft hands didn't resist much, and were held tightly together.