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

"He's out playing mahjong again. He'll lose the whole house sooner or later."

"My dad plays with a base bet of 10 yen, and he only plays with uncles from the neighborhood. Even if he loses all day, he won't lose much money. Rather, the table fee is the biggest expense."

"Ten yen at a time, that's still money. It's all saved up to help you get married, and besides, you..." Although she didn't say it outright, that's what Shiraishi Kanae's eyes were saying.

Feeling glared at and guilty, Shiraishi Zexiu continued to slurp his rice, thinking he shouldn't have spoken up for his father.

Takanashi Yuuko's eyes crinkled as she watched Shiraishi Sawa finish the dishes on his rice. She then added some more to his plate and watched him wolf it down as she slowly chewed.

Even Shiraishi Kanae could feel the happiness overflowing from the girl's body.

Today is January 3rd, the third day of the new year. The dinner table is both quiet and lively.

--

The hairdryer in the bathroom stopped, the door was pushed open, and Shiraishi Sawa Hide emerged, accompanied by warm steam.

Yuuko Takanashi, who was watching a video with headphones on in the living room, asked softly:

"Shiraishi, are you going out after washing your hair?"

"correct."

"Be careful on the road."

"Feeling bored alone? Want to go out and have some fun?"

Walking up to her, Shiraishi Sawashu pinched Takanashi Yuko's chin, making her look up at him with a smile in his eyes.

Chapter 286 The snow on the trees is cold, but the train carriage is warm.

"Where are we going?" Takanashi Yuko asked with a hint of doubt. At the same time, her usually languid and beautiful body got up from the sofa and went to find her coat.

Clearly, no matter where Shiraishi Sawa was going, she would go with him as long as he invited her.

"How about going to Tsugaru for a visit? We're just staying at home anyway, with nothing to do."

After all, it's the 3rd, still the New Year holiday. Shiraishi Kawa played mahjong all night and is sleeping now, while Shiraishi Kanae went out to chat with her friends. Both of them are trying to avoid making a lot of noise at home.

"Okay, is my hair too oily?" Takanashi Yuuko looked at herself in the full-length mirror by the door a few times, then turned around and asked with a frown.

"What's so oily about it? Didn't you just wash it yesterday?" Shiraishi Sawa Hideya walked to the mirror, looked at the two people in the mirror, twirled the smooth black hair in his hand, which had a hint of orange under the indoor light, and then pinched the girl's extremely soft and comfortable cheek.

"Smell it for yourself, doesn't it smell nice?" It has a faint orange scent.

"That's good. Since Shiraishi just washed his hair, I don't think that's a good idea." Takanashi Yuko breathed a sigh of relief. She just felt that since Shiraishi Sawa had just washed his hair, she should wash hers too. "Let's go then."

"I didn't wash it specifically for going out to play. It was just that it was oily and itchy. Takanashi, you're just being presumptuous." Shiraishi Sawa, understanding what he meant, smiled and said in a doting tone.

"Okay, but where is Tsugaru City? How do I get there?" The girl, who hadn't believed her at all, suddenly stopped at the door and looked up to ask.

"Don't worry, I know. I've been there once. I'm not particularly bad with directions in Aomori." After putting on his coat, Shiraishi Sawa pushed open the door. A gust of cold wind blew in, as if a drop of steam had just dripped from his head after a shower. He promptly put on a scarf.

However, because the crowd was so chaotic, Yuko Takanashi got up and helped him straighten his clothes again.

Instead of taking the tram, we took a local bus along the Byofusan-nai-mabu Line, crossing Byofusan. Hōda and Tsugaru are located on either side of the mountain.

The temperature difference between inside and outside caused a thin layer of condensation on the bus windows. Shiraishizawa wiped it away, pointed outside and said, "The scenery will be great when we ride this bus again during cherry blossom season. I wonder how it compares to Ueno Park. I've been looking forward to it for more than half a year. Let's go see it together this April."

The cherry blossoms in Ueno Park were something that my neighbors had been recommending to Hideki Shiraishizawa ever since I came to Tokyo.

Outside the bus window, trees lined both sides of the road, but the white of the snow and the gray-brown of the trees were the main colors of the scene. Apart from a few birds that were startled by the approaching bus and flapped their wings to fly into the vast sky, there was no trace of other animals.

Takanashi Yuuko leaned closer, and the fragrance of oranges became even stronger, like the first breath of air you take when you open the window on a spring morning. Looking down, she saw that an orange tree, laden with oranges, had grown there sometime during the day.

If cars around the world smelled like this, the number of people suffering from motion sickness would surely decrease significantly.

“Okay, let’s go see it together this year.” Looking at the desolate and monotonous scene outside, Takanashi Yuko couldn’t help but smile.

I'm starting to look forward to April, to having a picnic with him under the cherry blossoms, chatting, listening to him make promises for the next time, or saying some nonsensical vows of eternal love. Whatever I say, he can use it as an opportunity to say a lot of interesting things.

Actually, it doesn't have to be April; any time is fine.

Takanashi Yuuko felt a tap on her head, snapping her out of her reverie. She looked at the culprit and blinked her eyes.

"Stop looking, it's a tunnel outside now, what are you thinking about?" Shiraishi Zexiu laughed and patted him again.

Sure enough, when I slightly raised my eyes, it was pitch black outside the window, with only a few orange lights flickering in the distance.

"I was just spacing out," Yuko Takanashi replied with a smile.

Takanashi Yuuko understood when he patted her back with his other hand. She rested her head on his lap, feeling his hand gently stroking her face.

Feeling like a kitten that had found its owner, Takanashi Yuuko rubbed against him comfortably.

Okay, now it's someone's turn to feel uncomfortable.

Shiraishi Sawa cleared his throat twice. Sensing the change, Takanashi Yuuko's ears turned slightly red, but she boldly leaned in and got poked.

"Sigh~"

"Watch out tonight, or I'll spank your ass until it's swollen," Shiraishi Zexiu said through gritted teeth, head bowed.

Yuko Takanashi briefly peeked her tongue from between her pale cherry-colored lips before closing her eyes.

--

“That’s the Sunset Hall, a memorial hall for Osamu Dazai,” said Shiraishi Sawa, pointing to a rather large, old-fashioned orange building in the distance.

The two did not arrive in Tsugaru City, but got off the train in Kaneki-cho.

"Shall we go see this today?"

"No, my school forbade me from coming here when I was in junior high. To be honest, it's a bit boring. There aren't many interesting things in it. If you want to see it, we can go another time."

"So, where are we going now?"

"Let's go skiing first."

"I don't know how~" the girl said, only then realizing her destination.

“It won’t be better. I can teach you, and maybe something romantic will happen to deepen our feelings,” Shiraishi Sawa said, holding her hand. “Besides, skiing is easy to learn, and you can master it quickly.”

“Okay.” Takanashi Yuko gripped his large hand tightly and followed his steps.

The ski resort was right at the foot of the mountain, very close by. After buying the tickets and having Shiraishi Sawa help them choose their equipment, the two of them went inside.

Naturally, Shiraishi Sawa followed the landmark to the gentlest part of the slope.

The area is mostly populated by beginners and children, so the chances of encountering a human torpedo attack are relatively low.

The scenery was very pleasant, with pine trees standing tall, but no trees could be seen because they were all covered with thick snow, forming a cone-shaped snowdrift.

The cheers of children were interspersed throughout.

"Let's agree on how to fall first. You have to fall like this." Shiraishi Zexiu put his feet together, fell to the side, and sat on the ground, kicking up a cloud of snow powder.

"It's best not to fall forward or backward. It's safer to keep your feet together to one side. Anyway, it's a gentle slope, and with so many clothes on, you won't get hurt if you fall."

Yuko Takanashi looked focused, nodding occasionally.

Shiraishi Sawa suddenly understood why all the teachers liked her so much. Who could resist a student who was pleasing to the eye, well-behaved, sensible, and attentive in class?

The key points of skiing are...

After rattling off all the theoretical stuff, Shiraishi Sawa slid down the ramp for seven or eight meters before the skateboard tilted and stopped in the middle.

"Little Bird, you should try it. The slope here is very gentle, and braking is easy." The boy waved from below. "Slide over here. If you can't stop, I can catch you. Hold your ski poles steady."

"Okay!" Takanashi Yuko carefully and slowly made her way to the top of the slope, poking with her ski poles as if testing the depth.

"Then I'll go downstairs." Her pretty face was flushed, and the sunlight reflected off it made her look especially beautiful.

"I'm here," Shiraishi Zexiu patted his chest.

With a small gasp, Takanashi Yuuko slid down the slope, clutching her ski poles without even knowing where to put them. Luckily, she didn't veering off course and crashed straight into Shiraishi Sawa's arms.

Under Shiraishi Sawa's protection, the two of them didn't fall. After sliding a short distance due to inertia, they came to a steady stop. Looking at the girl in his arms, whose eyes were still tightly closed, Shiraishi Sawa laughed and scolded:

"Takayuki, I'm reporting you for murdering your husband! I told you to hold onto your ski poles tight, but I didn't tell you to poke me with them! Luckily I dodged it, or you'd be collecting my body."

Takanashi Yuuko snuggled further into his arms, her eyes blinking apologetically and pitifully—even if she had broken a divine law, she could be forgiven for this.

"I was too nervous. I forgot everything I just heard. I didn't use my ski poles for support, my feet didn't turn properly, and I didn't maintain my balance." The learning girl quickly began to summarize her gains and losses.

"You've forgotten everything I just taught you. I'm very disappointed in you. You're no longer my favorite student."

Takanashi Yuuko leaned in and kissed Shiraishi Sawa Hide on the cheek: "I'm sorry."

"Although you've become my favorite student again, teacher-student relationships are not allowed, and I can't accept it. I'm sorry, Yuuko-kun."

"But isn't there a Blu-ray version of 'The Garden of Words' in Shiraishi's room?" the girl asked, tilting her head.

"Sigh, having a beautiful and charming female homeroom teacher is actually one of the fantasies that boys have since they are young. When I saw Ms. Gennei when school started, my heart broke."

Although my shift is about to change, I haven't seen any particularly attractive female teachers in Mingchuan. They're all probably already married. And I'm not Cao Cao (a famous Chinese strategist known for his cunning and resourcefulness), so sigh, there's no hope for the future.

The thick fog, carrying its owner's disappointment, dissipated as it approached the ground.

"Role-playing?" Clearly, Takanashi Yuuko misunderstood... or so?

With a serious expression, Shiraishi Zexiu bit his thumb and slowly said, "I think your suggestion is good."

He then poked her head, which he had led her astray, and said with a smile, "We've gone off-topic. We'll talk about acting later. We're at the ski resort now, Takanashi, you need to learn how to ski first."

The slope was long, so there was no need to go up and down again. Shiraishi Sawa slid down a few more meters and opened his arms to signal Takanashi Yuuko to try again.

"You're learning Takanashi a little faster than I expected." After a few tries, looking at the girl who, despite the difficulty, had successfully stopped a meter away from him, Shiraishi Sawa commented.

"Maybe it's because I can rollerblade, but after a few tries, my balance is pretty easy to master." Takanashi Yuuko's face was filled with joy as she looked up and said happily.

"But don't go too fast. Try a few more times. I'll wait for you down here until you can brake skillfully." Shiraishi Sawah generously gave a thumbs-up to express his appreciation, and then said.

.....

"Shiraishi, what are you looking at?" She slid up to Shiraishi Zexiu's side again, this time much more skillfully, and asked with a puzzled look when she saw Shiraishi Zexiu looking into the distance.

"Come here," Shiraishi Zexiu said without turning around, having moved to a different position.

“I bet you, that little boy definitely likes that little girl.” As the girl slid to his side, Shiraishi Sawa nodded and pointed ahead.

Not far away, a man and a woman were playing, or rather, chasing each other.

Because the ski resort provides ski slopes and trampolines, not everyone is wearing ski equipment.

The little boy stood under the tree making faces, and the girl angrily chased after him. Just as she got close, the little boy kicked the tree, and all the snow fell down instantly, catching the little girl off guard.