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

Kai Uesugi quickly spoke up to defend himself: "It was just a photo taken during dinner just now."

He didn't want to endure another round of being lectured by two mothers.

"Oh, is that it?" Mrs. Hanamaru remembered that she had indeed seen Uesugi Kai taking pictures of her daughter.

"But what Kai is right, Hanabi, you ate a bit too much for lunch, almost two gozen sushi sets."

"I'm... I'm alright..." Hanabi Hanabi softened her tone, and when she caught sight of Uesugi Kai secretly smiling at her from across the way, she raised her eyebrows and glared at him angrily.

"It's not that it's not bad, it's that you really ate too much!" Mrs. Hanamaru gave Uesugi Kai a smile like an elder. "I think Kai said that on purpose because she wanted you to stop eating so much."

"Mom..." Hanabi called out to her mother in a soft voice, hiding behind her.

"Hey, why are you acting all cute?" Mrs. Hanamaru said casually. "This doesn't seem like you."

Even though Mrs. Hanamaru's words were unintentional, Hanamaru Hanabi took them to heart and immediately stopped what she was doing.

"Alright, alright, you two have only been married a short time, and you're already relying on your mother to help you establish your position in the family?"

"It's Kai-kun who's always up to no good!" Hanamaru Hanabi gestured towards him.

Kai Uesugi smiled as he looked at the girl being lectured by her mother-in-law. For some reason, a little bit of happiness welled up inside him.

Mrs. Hanamaru: "Let's go, let's continue down the mountain. We still have a day tomorrow. Let's pack up and prepare to go to the next place to spend the night."

We returned to the hotel from Mount Hakodate.

Tonight we'll be taking a bus to the next destination on our Hokkaido trip.

We returned from Mount Hakodate around 2 PM, having set off at 6 PM.

So Uesugi Kai and Hanamaru Hanabi still have three hours of rest time.

As soon as they returned to the bedroom, Hanabi Hanamoto sat down on the edge of the bed.

She saw Uesugi Kai leaning closer to her, so she raised her small, black-stockinged foot and pressed it against his chest:

"Kai-kun, are you in such a hurry? Hanabi isn't just any girl."

“I firmly believe that Hanabi is a beautiful girl with a very strong will,” Uesugi Kai said, his eyes lingering on Hanabi’s skirt, which was slightly raised and resting on her thigh.

Hanabi Hanamaru, of course, noticed his gaze.

The air conditioner in the hotel was blowing hot air, and in no time the indoor temperature rose considerably.

Hanabi Hanamaru crossed her legs: "Not now. Hanabi has to work. I have a manuscript that I have to submit this week, and today is already Saturday."

“However—” the girl changed the subject.

"But what?" Hope rekindled in Uesugi Kai's eyes.

Hanabi Hanamaru crossed her legs and opened them again, lifting her skirt slightly: "But if Kai-kun can find Hanabi within three minutes in the cat-finding game, then Hanabi can work and play games with Kai-kun at the same time."

"Really...?" Uesugi Kai's eyes remained fixed on him.

"Of course it's true."

Hanabi Hanamaru saw his "I'm all ready" expression, smiled at him, then put her hands behind her on the bed and watched him squat down and approach.

......

"Actually, since she was a child, Hanabi has wanted to support Kai-kun through her own efforts." Hanabi closed her beautiful eyes slightly.

Do you still want to now?

"Yes, I really do," Hanabi Hanabi's face began to flush, and she put one hand on his head. "I want Kai-kun to hold Hanabi every day, to coax her to sleep with sweet words every day, and if she's tired, to hold her and comfort her so she can rest soon."

"Kai-kun, Hanabi has always been a very lonely person. She is not liked or valued by anyone. Even when she helps others, it is taken for granted. The time when I was in the same class as Kai-kun in junior high school was the time that Hanabi disliked the most. Before, even if I was bullied, I could still see Kai-kun's back. Just thinking that Kai-kun would be with me after school would warm my heart."

Kai Uesugi didn't say anything.

He was thinking about what Hanabi had said about her childhood; she used to be an insignificant little girl.

Introverted, doesn't like to talk, and doesn't know how to fit in.

When they were divided into classes for the second year of junior high school, Hanabi Hanamaru was assigned to Class B, while Kai Uesugi was in Class A.

Although Class B was reorganized, most of the students were still the same as before.

This also means that Hanabi Hanamaru and a few other classmates are new faces in Class B.

When she first arrived, out of kindness, she helped a popular boy in her class pick up a pencil.

It was because of this pencil that she received as a thank you from the boys that she was ostracized by the delinquent girls in Class B.

Blackboard, sweeping, mopping, exercise equipment...

They made her do all the manual labor.

She diligently swept the floor for her classmates every day without complaint.

Kai Uesugi wondered what Hanabi Hanabi felt like when she was alone in the empty classroom after school, silently sweeping the floor with a broom. What were her feelings?

She must have felt very vulnerable and distressed at that time.

"Hanabi."

"Hmm..." Hanabi Hanamaru's face turned hot red.

"I couldn't give you much before, but if you ever feel like crying, please come to me. And if you have any painful thoughts on your mind, please tell me."

"Kai-kun, are you feeling sorry for Hanabi?" Hanamaru Hanabi pressed down on his raised head with her right hand.

"It breaks my heart, it breaks my heart."

"So when Hanabi told Kai-kun that she would disappear, did she also feel heartache?"

"It breaks my heart too."

"Hanabi... can tell which of Kai-kun's words are true and which are false... It's precisely because Kai-kun never deceives Hanabi at crucial moments that Hanabi is willing to marry him." Hanabi closed her eyes for a long time in the middle of the sentence, and finally exhaled before saying the last sentence.

At that time, a rosy blush had already crept up the girl's ears.

"And I would only do this to Kai-kun."

Do you still need it?

"What do you think, Kai-kun?"

Kai Uesugi stopped talking, leaned forward, intertwined his fingers with hers, and pressed his face against her smooth, clean back.

......

The white snow fell from the sky onto the windowsill; the sky, without the sun's cover, was transparent and clean.

......

The last stop on our Hokkaido trip was Otaru City.

Perhaps because of its location in the north of Hokkaido, the snow here is heavier. Even though I was wearing a down jacket, I couldn't help but shiver when I got off the train.

For some reason, Hanabi Hanabi's mental state hasn't been very good since she was in the car earlier.

She kept her eyes half-closed, looking drowsy but unable to fall asleep.

Worried that she might catch a cold, Uesugi Kai even held her in his arms so she could lean on him for warmth.

The snow was heavy, and the train was delayed because of the snow on the tracks. Before we even reached halfway to Otaru, the sky had already turned completely black.

Even the train's headlights were shattered and scattered by the whistling snowflakes.

The road ahead was blocked by snow, and the train had insufficient fuel reserves to maintain heating in all carriages for the entire night.

All the passengers on the train, guided by the train security personnel, began to try to walk towards the city center.

This sudden turn of events was unexpected by everyone on the train.

"Ah-Zai! Get off the bus with Hanabi on your back! Take her to the hospital! We're not far from downtown Otaru! Let's go to the hotel first! We won't eat out!"

"it is good!"

In the howling wind and snow, Uesugi Kai pulled his hat brim down, trying his best to maintain his balance.

He glanced sideways at Hanabi, who was leaning against his back with her head on his shoulder and squinting, and comforted her, "Hanabi, it's okay, it's okay, we'll be back at the hotel soon..."

Hanabi Hanamaru's vision was blurred, with only a sliver of light visible. She leaned against Kai Uesugi's back. Earlier on the train, she had overheard the mothers discussing the fact that the nearby hotels were fully booked.

She asked weakly, "Kai-kun...you won't abandon Hanabi, will you...?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! It's just a blizzard, and our hotel isn't far away." Uesugi Kai trudged through the thick snow, closing his eyes to endure the biting cold wind and snow in the darkness.

"Kai-kun...don't lie to Hanabi...Hanabi knows which of Kai-kun's words are true and which are lies..."

"What I said is true, it's all true," Uesugi Kai emphasized through gritted teeth. He turned around and glanced behind him; all the tourists from the train were following closely behind.

"In the morning, Hanabi should have listened to Kai-kun..." Hanabi's voice grew weaker and weaker.

"Don't talk anymore. It's partly my fault. Hanabi, rest well and don't fall asleep, or it will get even colder."

"Um......"

Police officers, with spotlights on their heads, shouted as they led the way: "We're on track! Don't get lost! Keep a close eye on your children!"

Suddenly, a chaotic chorus of exclamations came from behind.

Someone tripped and fell over a stone in the snow.

Those nearby quickly helped him up, and amidst the howling wind, shouted with their mouths wide open, "Are you alright?!"

"N-nothing." The man quickly wiped the snowflakes off his face, then picked up his box and continued to follow the group.

At this moment, having walked halfway, the person realized that the wind and snow in the darkness had suddenly intensified.

The security guard, pressing down on his hat, reminded everyone, "Be careful! There's still half the way to go!"

"Kai-kun..."

"I'm here, I'm here." Upon hearing the girl's faint voice, Uesugi Kai quickly responded.

"Where...am I...?"

"Hanabi, you...have a fever?"

At 8:33 PM, the howling wind and snow scattered in patches all around, brushing against people's faces and giving a feeling of cold desolation. The snow ahead had already been swallowed by the darkness.

"Fever...? Hanabi... doesn't know, Hanabi only knows that she's... so cold..."

Kai Uesugi suddenly realized that she was hugging him tighter, and her face was closer to his neck.