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

Hanabi Hanabi thought for a moment and then held up one finger to him.

"Just for a moment!"

"Really only a tiny bit?"

"However, if Kai-kun were to carry Hanabi on his back again, I would feel a tiny bit more touched."

Releasing balloons may seem cheesy, but once you actually experience it, that scene... you might not feel that way at all.

Balloons fill the sky, a gentle breeze rustles through the green shade, I carry my beloved girl on my back, running swiftly across the grass, she laughs happily on my back... When we're tired, we lie down on the grass, smelling the direction of the soil, holding hands, gazing at the blue sky together.

Haha, it feels just like a morning drama on TV.

However, it's really good.

Being with someone you like makes you very happy.

Kai Uesugi felt it necessary to tell Hanabi these words, and after listening, Hanabi immediately showed a warm smile in the snowy weather:

"If Kai-kun wants to go, Hanabi can go with him."

"Why are you being so nice to me...?"

"Because I like Kai-kun."

Just those few words made Uesugi Kai take a few more glances at her.

She still had that cute shoulder-length bob, her skin was as white as snow, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her violet eyes shone with an eerie light in the night, like a lighthouse in the fog.

It is hope... and also a yearning in the midst of confusion.

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but take her small hand in his again. The warmth that came from his palm was still so familiar, still so soft.

At this moment, it felt as if not only her hand was being lifted up, but also her lovely smile and her future.

"I like Kai-kun... In the past, Hanabi would never have said this to me on her own initiative."

Hanabi Hanamaru suddenly realized what was happening, pulled her hand back, and blushed as she folded it in front of her skirt.

"If Kai-kun doesn't like it, you can pretend you didn't hear me... Fireworks are only temporary... temporary..."

"A moment of impulse?"

"Well, Kai-kun... anyway, Kai-kun, don't worry about it!"

"No, on the contrary, I really like the little firework that can take the initiative to say that it likes me."

Looking at her downcast eyes and her round little face, Uesugi Kai suddenly felt playful and reached out to pinch her entire cheek from bottom to top.

"What are you doing..." Hanabi Hanabi said, her cheeks puffed out.

Uesugi Kai pinched her little face back and forth, making the flesh on her face bounce and change with his fingers.

"These fireworks are so cute."

Weren't the old ones cute enough?

"The old ones were cute too."

The streetlights shone behind her, casting a hazy glow over her hair and the contours of her face.

Kai Uesugi looked at her, so beautiful and lovely, pinched her chubby cheeks, and smiled:

"We've talked so much, how about we give each other a kiss before we go in?"

Why do you want a kiss?

"Because it's been so long since we kissed."

"Just because we haven't kissed in a long time... does that mean we can kiss? Also, why does Kai-kun keep pinching Hanabi's cheeks?"

"Didn't I just say it? Because it's cute."

Kai Uesugi gazed at her, watching the bright reflection in her eyes.

His body, whether intentionally or unintentionally, moved downwards towards her face.

Hanabi Hanamaru's expression shifted slightly as she watched him approach. Sensing his presence drawing near, her eyes flickered for a moment before returning to their normal gaze.

"Just...just for a little while..."

"Mmm, just for a little while," Uesugi Kai said, watching her close her eyes and tilt her little face up.

Her lips, even when she pursed them slightly, were full and glossy.

Kai Uesugi gazed at her like this, leaned closer, and gently touched her.

He then put his arm around her slender waist and pulled her body into his embrace.

......

When I closed my eyes, it felt like everything was quiet: in front of the houses, under the night sky, the trains whizzing through Tokyo... it was as if all I could see were white snowflakes drifting under the streetlights.

Kai Uesugi straightened her gaze, the taste of her lingering on her lips.

Seeing her wrapped in a scarf, breathing out warm air, her face flushed... Uesugi Kai couldn't help but laugh. The chill of December seemed to vanish in that instant.

"Kai-kun...you'd better come in quickly, everyone's waiting."

"Okay, let's go in together."

Kai Uesugi reached out his hand to her again, and looking at her, he suddenly saw her appearance more than ten years ago.

Hanabi Hanabi was also meeting his gaze.

The response they made was the same as it has been for the past ten years.

She raised her small hand and placed it on top of his palm.

Just like when she was a child, she took the hand that the boy offered to her.

Kai Uesugi smiled slightly again, led her to the door, took out the key, and opened the door.

Squeak...

With a sound, the door opened.

The entryway and the hallway leading to the living room were both pitch black.

The place was completely silent, making one wonder why the lights weren't on.

Kai Uesugi led Hanabi Hanamaru into the Hanamaru house, but before they could take two steps, the lights suddenly came on with a snap.

Bang bang bang bang!

Immediately afterwards, several small cannons fired, and countless dazzling decorative fireworks danced in the narrow entrance corridor.

"Happy birthday!"

Happy birthday, brother!

Happy birthday, brother!

Happy birthday, brother-in-law!

"Eeya~ Eeya~~"

The whole family was crowded in the corridor, all with smiles on their faces, clapping and cheering continuously towards Uesugi Kai, who was standing in the entrance hall.

The atmosphere instantly became lively.

Warm lighting, a colorful banner above that reads "Happy 19th Birthday to Kai," and colorful balloons crowding the corridor.

Aiyi, Qian Aiyi, Youxi, Sister Xi, the two wives holding Huayu and Xin, and even her father-in-law and husband were standing behind her, looking at her.

Everyone squeezed together in this small corridor.

Kai Uesugi's feet froze on the spot. Looking at everyone in front of him, watching them wish him a happy birthday, the warm colors filled him with a thousand unspeakable words.

They were cared for, blessed, and specially welcomed at the door.

In this little house where the wind and snow couldn't get in, Uesugi Kai knew deeply that she was happy... truly happy...

Unconsciously, Uesugi Kai took Hanabi's hand. Her hand was soft and reassuring...

Ahead lies a warm light, a light that illuminates everything, the beautiful thing called "home".

Kai Uesugi laughed, her eyes glistening with tears, and holding Hanabi Hanabu's hand, she smiled and said:

Thank you everyone...

"Brother-in-law, you're turning nineteen today! Any thoughts?"

"Haha..." Uesugi Kai stretched out his other hand and gently wiped away the glistening tears from the corner of his eyes. "What feelings could I possibly have... It's just another happy year."

"Huh? Didn't my brother turn nineteen a long time ago?"

"Silly Aiyi, today is a belated birthday celebration for your brother."

"Oh, I see. Then I'll wish you a happy birthday again, brother!"

Uesugi Shio crossed her arms and said, "Nineteen years have passed, and Kai still seems the same as when we were kids."

Mrs. Hanamaru, holding Hanamaru Hanayu who wanted to climb down, smiled at the two people in front of her and said, "You two are back so late. How long were you on your date?"

Mrs. Uesugi, who was also holding a baby, joked, "Mieko, you know perfectly well that every time they go on a date, they go out for a long time. Haha, really, after going on so many dates, don't they get tired of each other?"

“You don’t understand, Noriko. This is called love.”

"Love?" Hanamaru Yuuki crossed his arms and put on a serious face. "If it were love, we wouldn't be the ones hosting the birthday party now, and he wouldn't have ignored Hanabi all night... I never really approved of them getting too close in the first place, and now look what's happened, they're practically glued together, inseparable."

"Honey, if you're going to give your blessings, just give them. Why are you deliberately saying the opposite?"

Uesugi's father laughed and said, "That's just how he is. His daughter is being bullied, and he can't find anyone to vent his anger on, so of course he can only do this."

"Kenichi, you're not my daughter, are you?"

After saying what he had just said, Hanamaru Yuuki sighed and looked at the two people he had watched grow up, especially Uesugi Kai:

"Since Hanabi has forgiven you, there's nothing more I can say. It was Hanabi who suggested that we all participate in this Christmas birthday party, and I turned down all my work for it."

"Thank you, father-in-law."

"You brat! You even know how to call me father-in-law. As a husband, you should be more mindful! Hanabi is entrusting her whole life to you! Don't underestimate my daughter!"

Faced with her father-in-law's sternness, Uesugi Kai clenched Hanamaru Hanabi's small hand even tighter, and nodded somewhat choked out, "Um... I know."

Mrs. Hanamaru couldn't help but tease her husband from the side: