My daily life in love is too contrary to my character.

"No, you can continue sleeping. I'm going for my morning run."

"Oh, come back soon." Too tired from last night, Yuuko murmured, then shrank back under the covers.

Shiraishi Sawa got up and straightened the corner of the blanket. Although the air conditioner was on, there was still a large temperature difference between the inside and outside of the blanket.

Last night's snowfall covered the outside of the apartment with a light layer of silver. Under the morning sun, it began to melt a little, and the color of the snow underneath the asphalt road could already be seen.

Wrapping his clothes tighter, Shiraishi Zexiu exhaled a puff of white mist and began his morning run with long strides.

After taking a hot shower, Shiraishi Sawa returned to bed, hugged the nearly 1.7-meter-tall hand warmer to his chest, and comfortably went back to sleep.

--

I had a wet dream, and when I opened my eyes again, the hand warmer was no longer lying next to me.

The lingering effects of the spring dream are still present, and are even still receiving feedback.

She slightly raised her head and stood up, noticing a large bulge in her blanket.

"Hiss~" Perhaps because it was too cold, Shiraishi Sawa took a deep breath, then lay back down, his expression strange but enjoying it.

Don't ask what I'm doing now, I'm probably dreaming, anyway, it doesn't matter. —Hideaki Shiraishi

--

Because both of them woke up late, they ordered takeout for lunch. Takanashi Yuuko's face was still flushed from doing morning exercises.

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

Feeling Shiraishi Sawa's constant scrutiny, Takanashi Yuuko lowered her head, ate her takeout in small bites, and asked shyly.

"It's all your fault, little bird swimmer, that made me dream of spring when I went back to sleep." Shiraishi Sawah teased, taking a smug look at the girl's shy demeanor.

"It's what you said you wanted last night. I won't do it again." Takanashi Yuko almost buried her face in her rice.

"No, no, come on, I'll feed you."

Shiraishi Sawa moved a chair next to Takanashi Yuko, reached around with his left hand to press down on her right shoulder, pulled her close to his chest, and then used chopsticks to pick up a piece of ribbonfish and bring it to her mouth.

Her clear eyes were slightly closed, as if out of shyness, her eyelashes fluttered like wings. She glanced at Shiraishi Zexiu beside her with a hint of reproach—because his left hand, which was originally on his right shoulder, had now moved to his right chest, and even seemed to be going deeper, as he opened his mouth to eat the ribbonfish.

Too cute, Shiraishi Sawa Hide leaned in and 'bite' Takanashi Yuko's cheek, leaving a ring of oil that reflected in various colors.

That's roughly how lunch went. Observer Mimi shook her head, questioning her own existence. How old is she and still can't eat properly? She always eats by herself.

I'm a cat, but I'm eating more dog food than cat food. My stomach can't take it anymore! How can a cat survive like this?!

--

"Mimi, move aside, don't disturb your dad's spring cleaning." Shiraishi Zexiu picked up Mimi and tossed her onto the sofa, then moved the cat bed out and began tidying up and cleaning the corner.

Mimi protested, but unfortunately, her mother, who usually protects her, was also cleaning the room and no one paid any attention to her.

I'm leaving Tokyo today, and I probably won't be back for more than ten days. Although it's winter now and things don't easily get moldy, it's still a good idea to do a thorough cleaning and pack up the things I need to take with me.

I plan to take Mimi with me this time as well, as special luggage, and pay some money to check her in on the Shinkansen.

Furthermore, since we need to go to Nara first and then back to Aomori, which is a long journey, we plan to have our luggage shipped directly by courier, as it would be too much trouble to carry it with us.

"Shiraishi... Shiraishi-kun, do you still want this one?" Takanashi Yuko walked out of the room with a slightly flushed face, holding a dusty, single-volume manga in her hand.

"Isekai Harem Story (Part 1)" - Viewers under 18 should watch with parental guidance - if you're not afraid of death.

"..." Shiraishi Sawa Hide walked over, took the comic, and began to reread it as if savoring the memory. Since it was Takanashi Yuuko who discovered it, he felt much less ashamed.

"Where did you find this book? I searched for it for a long time. It's a pity. I lost the second volume because you lived with me. I think the art style of this series is quite good. What do you think of Takanashi?"

Shiraishi Sawa's tone and expression, as if he were studying serious materials, briefly confused Takanashi Yuuko. Was this something they could discuss together?

"This was found in the gap between the bed boards. As for the art style, I don't understand that~"

"It's alright, keep it. There's still a lot we can learn from it." Shiraishi Zexiu wiped the dust off with a tissue, placed it on the coffee table, and after thinking for a moment, put it in the small cabinet under the coffee table.

Although Takanashi Yuuko discovered that Yashiro wasn't dead, others might not have.

"Shiraishi, you're thinking about building a harem so early on?" Seeing that the manga was being shelved, Takanashi Yuuko breathed a slight sigh of relief and mustered up the courage to tease him.

"That's in the nature of boys and men. I don't believe anyone hasn't fantasized about it. But there's definitely a difference between that and actually doing it, okay?"

Shiraishi Sawa argued forcefully, proving that his current state of wickedness was not his original intention.

"I understand." Takanashi Yuuko nodded with a smile.

"Go back to cleaning quickly, don't miss the afternoon bus. And if you find anything like this again, remember to report it to me. There were still some that slipped through the net," said Shiraishi Zexiu.

"It's okay, the bus doesn't leave until four o'clock, there's still enough time."

"You forgot, we also need to thank the neighbors for their care. We'll be sending them New Year's greetings and gifts later, and we also need to mail your luggage..."

"I almost forgot!" Takanashi Yuko exclaimed, running back to her room to continue cleaning. She felt like her brain had become dull from being with Shiraishi.

--

"Aunt Shangshan, thank you for taking care of Youzi and me this year. We are going home now. This is our New Year's gift to you, and this is our New Year's greeting to you."

Shiraishi Sawa said to Ueyama Mizue, who opened the door, while Takanashi Yuko handed over a gift.

The gift is a kadomatsu, a decoration for welcoming the New Year in Japan. Its importance is equivalent to that of a couplet and it is a ritual to welcome the "Year God". It consists of three items: the rot-resistant "pine", the straight-growing and resilient "bamboo", and the "plum blossom" which symbolizes spring.

In this apartment building, only Shiraishi Sawa's door had Spring Festival couplets pasted on it, and those were written by him himself.

The gifts weren't expensive, and they were a token of the kindness of the two younger women. Unlike before when she accepted gifts, Ueyama Mizue didn't refuse them. She happily accepted them and insisted on taking something from the kotatsu in her room to return to her.

After visiting all the places, they gave out all the gifts. They even left the gifts at the doors of those who weren't home or hadn't opened their doors. However, the two of them also received a large number of gifts.

The two returned to their front door, carrying their prepared luggage and Mimi in her cat carrier, and went downstairs to hail a taxi.

While waiting for the car, the two looked at the entire apartment building in tacit agreement. Although it was only a brief farewell, they couldn't help but feel a little reluctant to part.

After sending all their luggage to their home in Hōda Village at Ueno Station, Hideki Shiraishizawa and Yuko Takanashi boarded the train bound for Nara Prefecture.

--

At 6:27, Hideki Shiraishi and Yuko Takanashi got off the train at the Nara platform.

It wasn't snowing in Nara at this time, but the cold evening wind was just as biting as in Tokyo. Upon closer inspection, the bare branches of the zelkova trees shivered in the cold wind.

As darkness fell, the shadows of the two people stretched long under the lamplight, as they nestled together.

"Takanashi, I'm now completely in your hands."

Hideaki Shiraishi carried a bag containing gifts from Tokyo and some disposable household items, along with a cat carrier containing Mimi, walking a step behind Yuko Takanashi.

"It's still a bit far. My adoptive parents' home is in Gojo City, 4-chome, 3rd Midou Park..." Yuko Takanashi looked at her phone and was giving out her adoptive parents' home address.

"Stop chanting, Master. Even if you tell me, I still won't know. Just lead the way, I'll follow you." Shiraishi Sawah tightened the scarf around Takanashi Yuuko's neck to prevent the cold wind from sneaking in.

It was also knitted by her own hand, with the exact same color and style as Shiraishi Sawa's, except that the name on the inside was changed to her own.

The affectionate gesture stirred a warm feeling in Takanashi Yuuko's heart, and she nodded with a smile.

"Shall we just take a taxi?"

"I'll listen to you in bed, but you'll listen to me out of bed," Shiraishi Zexiu whispered as he leaned closer.

The soft, pink earlobes looked very cute, and Shiraishi Sawah pinched and teased them for a while.

"I'll listen to you even under the bed." Although her ears turned bright red from those words, Takanashi Yuuko still managed to maintain her composure.

"Then let's take a taxi, we're rich!"

With points that can be redeemed, Yuko Takanashi's TikTok fanbase exploded, and her advertising rates soared, so she no longer had to live as frugally as before.

--

When the taxi arrived at its destination, it was nearly 7:30 p.m. The winter night was deep, and the stars here were much more conspicuous than in Tokyo. There were no towering buildings around to catch the eye.

A breeze blows by, bringing not only coldness but also a sense of tranquility and fragrance.

This is a residential area, arranged in small groups of three or four households.

Yuko Takanashi's eyes showed a moment of confusion as she got off the train, followed by an overwhelming joy and nostalgia, along with hidden worry and bewilderment.

"What's wrong? Let's go, let's go to your house and see."

"Okay, sure." Takanashi Yuuko looked at Shiraishi Sawa Hide, nodded, and walked towards her home.

Shiraishi Sawa quickly found out which family was Takanashi Yuuko's adoptive parents, because a slightly aged woman and her husband, holding a young child's hand, were waiting at the door.

Yuuko's steps became somewhat disordered when she saw them.

The changes are quite significant. In the Story Analyzer, Shiraishizawa Hide saw the foster mother who sent Takanashi Yuuko to Tokyo back then. Now, only a few months have passed, but she looks haggard as if several years have passed.

Hideaki Shiraishi sighed softly.

They also noticed the two people. The foster mother was initially happy and quickly took a few steps, then stopped, not daring to go forward.

Yuuko's walking speed also slowed down more and more, almost stopping.

Shiraishi Sawa took her hand, transferring the warmth of his palm to her, and after looking into her eyes, whispered:

"It's okay, it's not your fault, go ahead."

Encouraged, Yuuko nodded vigorously, then called out to the woman:

"Mother."

"Yuko!" The foster mother leaped forward again, Shiraishi Sawah let go of her hand, and Takanashi Yuko also quickly stepped forward.

The two embraced in the middle, their low, suppressed sobs spreading with sorrow.

Neither Shiraishi Sawa nor the man with the child in the distance disturbed them. A few minutes later, the woman released Takanashi Yuko, wiped away her own tears, and then used a handkerchief to wipe Takanashi Yuko's tears.

"I'm sorry, I misbehaved." The woman bowed to Shiraishizawa Hide, then asked Takanashi Yuuko, "Is this the friend you mentioned on the phone?"

“No, that’s not it,” Shiraishi Zexiu bowed back, raised his head, and denied with a smile, “Good evening, Auntie. I’m Yuko’s boyfriend.”

It's obvious that Takanashi Yuko thought saying "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" might cause her trouble, so she said "friends."

"Ah, I guessed it," the foster mother said with a smile. "Youzi has never brought her friends home. I just didn't believe her when she said that boys were still friends. Come in, come in. You haven't eaten yet, have you? The dishes are all cooked. You must have had a hard journey."

Takanashi Yuuko looked slightly shy, tugging at her foster mother's clothes, but did not deny it.

"Good evening, Father."

As the three approached the house, Takanashi Yuuko spoke to the middle-aged man standing at the door.

The man nodded, paused for a few seconds, and said, "What Dad said before was very harsh. I'm sorry, and I hope you can forgive me, Yuko."