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

"How dare you say that to Kai? On Hanabi's wedding day, weren't you the only one hiding from us, holding back your tears? That just goes to show how hard it is for a man to let go of his pride."

“As a father-in-law, you should act like one,” Hanamaru Yuuki said, raising his voice and looking at Uesugi again. “Anyway, happy birthday to you today. Hanabi has prepared so much for you without asking for anything in return. You could say that your shadow is in her entire life. If you forget her again, I will never forgive you!”

"I see."

Uesugi's father smoothed things over with a smile, saying, "Alright, alright, everyone stop blocking the doorway. Let's welcome them inside. They must have gotten cold standing outside."

"Keep drinking!"

"No drinking..." Hanabi Hanamaru suddenly interjected.

Hanamaru Yuuki paused for a moment, then smiled as he looked at his daughter's slightly blushing face and said, "Alright, let's not drink today, just eat. Let's go back to the living room."

After everyone returned to the living room in twos and threes.

Only the two of them remained in the entryway.

The atmosphere quieted down again.

"Kai-kun".

"Yes, I'm here, I've always been here."

"Besides marrying Hanabi, Kai-kun is actually happy in other ways too, right?"

"Yes...but all of this happiness is because of fireworks...my life has truly been worthwhile."

"Hanabi...yeah...but in the days to come, Hanabi wants to hear Kai-kun's voice and see his mischievous face..."

"Hanabi-chan... Me too, always have been. I still want to hear Hanabi calling 'Kai-kun' in my ear in a weak and hesitant voice."

The two held hands and intertwined.

Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other.

"Kai-kun, come inside. Today is Kai-kun's birthday. You must be happy."

"Yes...it definitely will...because I not only have fireworks...but also everyone who cares about us."

Uesugi Kai and Hanabi smiled again, and finally, as if by unspoken agreement, they pressed their foreheads together, closed their eyes, and smiled warmly, feeling each other's presence...

In the living room of the Hanamaru family, where candlelight filled the room, Uesugi Kai listened to Mrs. Hanamaru leading everyone in singing "Happy Birthday" before blowing out the candles.

Happy birthday, Kai Uesugi!!

"Great!"

"Brother! Come cut the cake! Aiyi wants some."

"Silly Aiyi, shouldn't your brother eat first?"

"That seems to be the case..."

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay. My brother-in-law won't care about such details."

"That's right, as long as you enjoy your meal. There's still dinner later, so don't eat too much."

"Yeeeeeeeeee~"

In the suddenly darkened snowy night, amidst everyone's enthusiastic blessings and applause, Uesugi Kai, still holding Hanamaru Hanabi's small hand, turned his head and revealed a smile to her bright, violet eyes—a smile reserved only for her.

His feelings at this moment were just as they had always been—I will always, always love you, my Hanabi-chan...

###Chapter 550 The Morning That Will Always Come Again###

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

After getting off the tram, the cool night breeze blew under their feet as the two walked together along the banks of the Kanda River.

We arrived at the entrance of a detached house with the words "Hana Maru" written on it.

Kai Uesugi and Hanabi Hanabi stood at the doorway, where the same pot of lilies still stood. Snowflakes drifted down, and everything around them was pure white.

The two looked at the door of the Hanamaru family's house ahead, showing no intention of going in.

Kai Uesugi, holding Hanabi's hand, turned his head and smiled at her, saying, "Everyone's already waiting for us at home, right?"

"Hmm..." Hanabi Hanabi replied in a weak voice, "Does Kai-kun feel any anticipation?"

"I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a little hesitant to go in... because I know there's a surprise coming, and I know I'll see it as soon as I open the door, so I need to be a little mentally prepared."

Snowflakes continued to fall from the sky; the snowfall never stopped on Christmas Day.

The light from the streetlights shone on Hanabi Hanabi's hair and small face, creating two beams of radiant light.

Kai Uesugi stared at her, mesmerized.

"Kai-kun?"

"Haha, it's nothing, I was just a little lost in thought while I was looking at you."

"...Kai-kun...Shouldn't you have already had enough of watching fireworks by now?"

"How could that be... I can never get enough of looking at you. I still clearly remember the way you walked out of the inner sanctuary wearing your white kimono."

Hanabi Hanamaru also recalled the scene of the wedding that day, when Kai-kun, who stood in front of her waiting for her, was quite handsome:

"Kai-kun, you really liked your wedding day, didn't you?"

"Yes, a day I'll never forget... When I was at the coffee shop, I would often take out the photos that my aunt and the others had taken and look at them... Yuuki would often laugh at me when she saw Hanabi with tears in her eyes."

"And what about Kai-kun?"

"what?"

"Kai-kun cried while watching the fireworks... was he laughing at her too?"

"Haha, I was laughing at her, laughing at how cute and innocent she looked when she cried. But as I laughed, I couldn't help but shed tears myself. Then, watching her put on her wedding dress for me, so many words were stuck in my throat. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say. I just felt so moved."

"Kai-kun".

"Ah."

"Sometimes Hanabi has to admit... Kai-kun's sweet talk isn't corny after all!"

"Oh? Now you know how good I am? Do you want me to wrap up a whole bunch of balloons for you, write things like 'I like fireworks' on them, and release them into the sky?"

"I just praised Kai-kun, and he immediately showed his true colors! Writing 'I like you' and sweet nothings on balloons is so corny! But... if Kai-kun is sincere, even the corniest sweet nothings will touch Hanabi a little."

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.