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

"If there is a next life, Hanabi really wants to find Kai-kun again."

"I know, but why bring up such a sad topic all of a sudden?"

"We don't need to worry about Kai-kun. The main thing is... will Kai-kun wait for Hanabi...? Until the day Hanabi finds Kai-kun?"

"I've been waiting for you."

For some reason, Uesugi Kai simply uttered those words from the bottom of her heart.

In his past life, he experienced loneliness and firmly believed that he would never fall in love.

But then, in this lifetime, he met the little girl who happened to move in next door.

The little girl who had always followed him around since she was little, calling him Brother Zai.

"Okay... Hanabi, I understand."

Perhaps because she had received his promise, Hanabi Hanabi's face showed a warm and familiar smile in the mirror.

Even if Kai-kun is a heartless man, Hanabi will still go to him because of that!

"Haha, don't make me sound so bad."

"He's the one who angered Hanabi, that's why she spoke so harshly about him!"

"I know, I was wrong, my dear Marseille... Is this an acceptable apology?"

"Kai-kun is so perfunctory!"

Hanamaru Hanabi punched him twice more in the chest, but not too hard, afraid of hurting him.

"Alright, alright, we should go out now. Let's wash our faces first."

"Kai-kun will help Hanabi wash."

"You need me to help you with all of this?"

"Is that not allowed...?"

"I'll help you with everything, even your bath!"

"No need for that!"

Kai Uesugi washed Hanabi's face in the same way he would take care of his younger sister. Holding the handkerchief, he looked at Hanabi in his glasses, her hair slightly lifted, and her face was still so radiant.

"What is Hanabi planning to wear today? It's a bit chilly outside."

"Of course I'll wear thick stockings and a winter coat!"

Do you want me to help you put on your stockings?

"No." Hanabi Hanamaru refused decisively, her bare feet making her blush slightly. "Kai-kun is a pervert! He's always thinking about lewd things!"

"I really don't have that."

......

......

Kai Uesugi sat in the living room and waited for a long time before Hanabi Hanabi came out wearing her winter dress and padded jacket. She was wearing a scarf she had knitted herself and was holding another scarf in the same color as her.

“Kai-kun, stand up.”

When Uesugi Kai saw her appear in front of him, he stood at attention strangely.

"very good!"

Hanabi Hanabi smiled and praised him, then stood on tiptoe, put her hands behind him, and wrapped the scarf around his neck.

"This is a reward for Kai-kun."

Hanamaru Hanabi gazed at him intently throughout, her eyes bright and clear, not with tears, but even more luminous than when tears were welling up in her eyes.

Her gesture of tying the scarf was so gentle that Uesugi Kai could see the warmth emanating from her eyes.

It was a warm, comforting feeling that enveloped the whole body.

"Are you done?"

"Hmm..." Hanabi tied a knot in front of him with her scarf, straightened his clothes, and then looked up at him again and nodded slightly in response.

This captivating beauty pierced his heart.

Just looking at her, all I could think about was her image.

"Let's go out."

"Okay," Hanabi Hanabi replied softly.

Uesugi Kai took her small hand and led her out the door. The cold wind outside rushed onto his face, but he didn't feel cold at all.

After going down the stairs, Uesugi Kai looked up again and realized what was happening.

It's started snowing in Tokyo.

"What a nice view!"

Hanabi Hanabi was talking happily beside me, looking up at the sky where snowflakes were falling.

The leaves, vending machines, trash cans, railings, and shop awnings along the street—everything around was covered in a blanket of white snow.

"Haven't you seen enough of Hokkaido?" Uesugi Kai said with a smile, looking at her profile.

"The snow in Tokyo is different from that in Hokkaido."

"The skyscrapers here, the shopping streets, the narrow lanes, and the place where Kai-kun and Hanabi grew up together... this feeling is completely different."

Hanabi Hanamaru stretched out her gloved little hand, touched a snowflake, and watched it slowly melt and disappear in the middle of her palm.

Kai Uesugi stared blankly at her standing in the light snow, his left hand unconsciously tightening its grip on hers.

"Let's not take the tram today, I'll take you to the bookstore on my bicycle."

"But won't Kai-kun feel cold riding a bicycle? And it's snowing."

"The snow isn't falling too heavily right now, so it's still walkable. Besides, doesn't Hanabi think it would be romantic to drive your girlfriend through the snow?"

Hanabi Hanamaru laughed: "It's very romantic, but it's illegal to carry someone on a bicycle in Tokyo, Kai-kun, you'd better be careful to avoid the traffic police."

"So, you agree?"

Of course!

Kai Uesugi immediately led her to the bicycle parking area next to the apartment building, found the pink bicycle that had been gathering dust for almost a month, unlocked it, and pushed it out.

He climbed on top and tilted his head toward the girl beside him, saying, "Come on, sit down."

Hanabi Hanabi lifted her skirt, sat sideways next to him, pressed her face against his back, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

So warm...

Looking straight ahead, Uesugi Kai asked the girl who was holding him from behind, "Are you sitting tight?"

"Hmm..." The girl behind him closed her eyes and nodded gently.

"Then, let's go!"

Kai Uesugi pedaled hard, gripping the handlebars with both hands, looking ahead at the exit, and shouted with a smile.

Hanabi Hanamaru closed her eyes, not even needing to think about anything. She smelled the cold scent of snowflakes in the air, embraced the intense warmth in front of her, and rested her head on the back of the bicycle as it swayed gently, listening to the sound of the bicycle wheels spinning again and again.

She really liked this reassuring feeling.

I love the feeling of being behind him, hugging his waist, and leaning against his strong back.

The girl's hair and skirt swayed in the wind on the back of the bicycle. A cold wind gently blew by, and snowflakes fell all around them.

Kai Uesugi gazed at the streets of Tokyo ahead, navigating one strange uphill and downhill road after another.

Feeling the girl's support behind him, he felt a surge of passion coursing through his body, a desire to move faster through the snow and feel the colder wind.

Because he felt that at this moment, in this world, in this bustling city filled with snowflakes, no one could stop them from moving forward.

Kai Uesugi gazed excitedly ahead, sensing the support he received from behind.

I felt something simple, yet something that everyone pursues throughout their lives—a heartwarming thing.

That is—happiness.

###Chapter 526 The Bookstore Entrance in the Snow in Tokyo###

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

As the bicycle went downhill, the downward trend caused Hanabi Hanabi to instinctively hug Kai Uesugi's waist tightly.

This feeling of imbalance made Hanabi Hanabi frightened.

With her eyes closed and her face pressed against his back, she involuntarily called out to him:

"Kai-kun...! Can you slow down a bit?"

“It’s downhill! We can’t slow down!” The cold wind brushed against Uesugi Kai’s face. He turned to the girl and responded. At the same time, her clinging to him made him feel a sense of responsibility to protect her. “Hanabi, just hold me tight. Don’t be afraid. Leave everything to me.”

"it is good..."

Hanabi Hanamaru knew that there was nothing she could do from behind at this point; she could only rely on him and place all her faith in him.

Fortunately, the slopes in the city were not very steep, and the journey was over quickly.

"Were you scared?" Uesugi Kai stopped his pink bicycle, his reddened hands gripping the handlebars, and turned to ask the pale-faced girl behind him.

"I feel like it was really dangerous just now."

"Then I'll try to choose flatter roads in the future, since there are quite a few hills and slopes in Tokyo."

"No need to change routes, and... that feeling was quite novel."

"Then let's keep going."

"it is good......"

Kai Uesugi smiled as he heard her voice, said nothing more, and started pedaling his bicycle again, focusing all his attention on the snow-covered streets of Tokyo ahead.

A bicycle, a man and a woman, the man riding slowly in front, the woman sitting sideways behind him, hugging his waist.

All around me were snowflakes falling heavily, cars flowing endlessly, and pedestrians walking on the street with umbrellas.