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

But since it wasn't a meal, feeding her didn't feel the same, so Uesugi Kai still handed her the croquette.

"Thank you, Kai-kun."

Holding the croquette in both hands, Hanamaru slowly ate it, her little mouth occasionally exhaling hot breath.

Kai Uesugi stared at the narrow street ahead, watching one figure after another pass by:

"Does Hanabi remember why she refused to eat when she was little?"

"Hanabi... cried a lot when she was little..."

Why are you crying?

Hanabi Hanamaru shook her little head; she really didn't remember.

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but smile when she thought of Hanabi's timid appearance as a child: "Because her aunt wasn't around, I always had to feed Hanabi. She would cry whenever the teacher touched her bowl."

He looked at her beautiful face under the lamplight.

"You cried very loudly, and you looked ugly with your face covered in tears. Your clothes were soaked with your tears."

"Will it look ugly?" Hanabi Hanabi looked up at him.

"Anyway, it's not as pretty as it is now."

Kai Uesugi smiled. "But I was so cute back then. I kept wanting to play with you while wiping away my tears, and I would call you 'brother' in my sweet voice."

Hanabi lowered her head and spoke softly: "Back then, everyone said Hanabi was a crybaby and no one wanted to play with me."

"Only Kai-kun doesn't mind Hanabi's tendency to cry. He wipes away Hanabi's tears, shares his food with her, and tells her stories from books."

"Hanabi can only play with Kai-kun every day..."

Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Decisive Choice

A diverse array of passersby stroll through the streets, and the neon-lit Shinjuku district boasts a night as bright as day.

A cold wind was blowing in the street. Under the not-so-lush beech tree, Uesugi Kai watched her disappointed little nose, gently placed his hand on her slender shoulder, and slowly embraced her delicate body.

He let her rest her head on his shoulder, inhaling the fragrance emanating from her hair and neck, and said to her with his eyes closed:

"Little Firework is very cute. When she cries, you can't help but want to protect her. She eats quietly and always sits obediently on her stool when listening to stories, patiently listening to every word and sentence."

The gentle, soft words brought Hanamaru Hanabi back to that time.

"But nobody likes those kinds of fireworks..."

Through the wrinkled sailor uniform in his hands, Uesugi Kai could clearly feel the girl nestled in his arms; her fragility and her body temperature had never changed since she was a child.

He hugged her, just like he used to comfort her when she cried.

"Xiaohuabi is very well-behaved and cute. Whenever she sees a beautiful flower, she will pull Kaijun to go see it with her, whether in the park, on the embankment, or by the roadside. Kaijun has always liked her. He likes the way she quietly follows behind him, he likes the smile that blooms when she eats, and he likes the way she secretly wipes away her tears in the corner."

Hanabi Hanamaru slowly opened her bright eyes and looked up slightly at his familiar face.

Twelve years can change a lot, but what remains unchanged in her heart is the tenderness he showed when comforting her.

Her eyes were filled with his face.

Hanabi... also likes Kai-kun...

The bright streetlights danced and shimmered on the two of them. Hanabi raised her head, closed her eyes, and quickly tapped his cheek lightly.

The warmth on her cheek was fleeting, but Uesugi Kai could still clearly feel the softness of the girl's cherry lips.

He opened his eyes, smiling as he faced her shy and evasive gaze: "Hanabi, did you kiss me just now?"

"Um......"

Hanabi Hanabi lowered her head again, hurriedly picked up the croquette from the stool, and quietly began to eat it.

Kai Uesugi smiled, didn't disturb her, and picked up his own croquette.

Through the 0.025mm plastic bag, the residual heat passes through the greaseproof paper bag and reaches the palm of your hand. Take a bite and it's crispy. Quietly observe the many passersby brushing past you.

The two sat quietly under the beech tree bench, eating their golden croquettes.

------

The next day, after slacking off during the first class of the morning, Uesugi Kai couldn't help but yawn.

"Ha~"

"Where did you go yesterday?" Takahiro Tsubokawa asked Kai Uesugi at the table in front of him while playing a game.

His yawns were so loud that half the classroom could hear them.

Ignoring everyone's gaze, Uesugi Kai glanced at Hanabi Hanabu, who was sleeping on her desk, and then said to Tsubokawa:

"I was a little tired last night."

Takahiro Tsubokawa raised an eyebrow at Kai Uesugi, then continued playing his game: "Forget it, I'm just jealous no matter how much I hear, I'd rather not listen."

Tsubokawa wouldn't listen, and Uesugi didn't say much either; he wasn't the kind of person who would just show off his affection every day.

"Boom, boom, explode, bomb!"

It's a very cute little girl's voice, and she's speaking Chinese.

Uesugi Kai couldn't help but ask, "What are you playing?"

“Genshin Impact,” Takahiro Tsubokawa said casually, as a little girl in a red dress ran around in a snowy landscape on his screen.

"Why are you speaking Chinese?"

“Chinese games, of course I have to try the Chinese version, and it’s surprisingly good,” Takahiro Tsubokawa said, his finger sliding across the screen. “Although I can’t understand it.”

He then added another sentence.

"The whole Akihabara area is plastered with ads for this game. I thought the character art looked pretty good, so I downloaded it to give it a try."

Uesugi Kai squinted, half of it sleepy: "You topped up your account?"

Takahiro Tsubokawa was very surprised: "How did you know!?"

Instead of explaining, Uesugi Kai continued, "How many lessons did you have?"

"Not many," Takahiro Tsubokawa was trying to recall, "I think it was just about drawing all the characters in the gacha pool seven times."

Yes, all characters can be drawn 7 times.

Kai Uesugi remained silent. Although he didn't know the extent of the situation, Tsubokawa was clearly already deeply mired in trouble.

“By the way,” Takahiro Tsubokawa asked him, “would you like to play? We can team up.”

"Never mind." He felt that his secret stash of money wasn't ready yet.

The short break between classes ended quickly. Uesugi Kai propped his head up with his left hand and leaned against the window, listening to the English teacher tell the story of Martin, feeling utterly bored.

Since my intelligence level reached 8, I've been able to maintain my previous level of effort even when I'm not actively participating in class.

Looking for something to do?

That's worse than taking a nap.

Last night, my father-in-law had some free time and came home. He called me out for some training after we'd been walking around the streets for a while, and now I'm really sleepy.

Now all I can think about is the bowing, the face, the torso, and the sound of bamboo swords clashing.

However, despite learning kendo for so long, I haven't been able to put it to any use yet.

Is there never a scenario where someone comes to provoke me and gets beaten down in one move?

Uesugi Kai spent the rest of the day peacefully in this extremely boring state of mind.

"Kai-kun...where are we going...?" Hanabi Hanabi, holding a bento box, followed beside Uesugi Kai, her little leather shoes under her black stockings treading lightly.

The sunlit corridor, with its dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, exudes a refreshing green hue.

“Earth Science Classroom,” Uesugi Kai said.

“But the Earth Science classroom isn’t in the clubhouse building,” Hanabi Hanamaru said.

"The abandoned one."

"What are you going there for...?"

"Let's have dinner together."

Hanabi Hanamaru stopped in her tracks, her soft pleated skirt swaying forward.

She shook her head and said, "Kai-kun, you don't need to feed Hanabi. Hanabi will eat by herself."

"......"

Uesugi Kai didn't think that way; he mainly felt that eating in the cafeteria would be too conspicuous, because of his so-called father-in-law's instructions.

Why not just be decisive and make the relationship public? Let the classmates know if they want.

"Let's go to the cafeteria," he decided.

Hanabi Hanabi had no choice but to turn around and follow Kai Uesugi. She glanced at him walking in the sunlight and whispered:

Hanabi thinks Kai-kun isn't feeling too well today...

When asked about not feeling well, Uesugi Kai couldn't help but yawn again: "I had insomnia again last night and didn't sleep well."

Not long after he finished speaking, a soft little hand suddenly grabbed his.

"What's wrong?" Uesugi Kai turned around and looked at her slightly flushed face.

"Go to the Earth Science classroom..." Hanabi Hanamaru's voice trailed off.

"Why did you go there again?"

There was a brief silence.

"Hanabi...sleep with Kai-kun..."

Sleep with me?

Uesugi Kai paused for a second, then grasped her small hand that was holding him and turned back.

###Chapter 100 Afternoon Classroom, Scattered Exam Papers###