I live my life in Tokyo

She just thought of something happy, she seemed to have finally defeated Toru Asakura.

However, her good mood soon disappeared because this victory was won by Asakura Toru. If Asakura Toru wanted to make a move, she would have taken down Sakakibara Kaede long ago. With Asakura Toru's straightforwardness and directness, the matter might have been settled.

She doesn't want a victory that comes from charity.

But... victory is still victory after all.

Thinking of this, Higuchi Yuanxiang's mood improved again. She glanced at the young man sitting opposite her, eating voraciously, and a feeling of happiness that was difficult to describe in words surged in her heart. When she saw him, she wanted to lean on him and tell him all the complaints and thoughts buried in her heart.

After the two finished eating in the revolving restaurant on the top floor, Sakakibara Kaede went back to her room, changed into more comfortable casual clothes, and took the elevator downstairs.

You have to eat semi-liquid food for midnight snacks to avoid gaining weight. This is the reason why most office workers are in poor health. They eat very late and very fast, and the food they eat is all semi-processed food from convenience stores. It's okay to eat it occasionally, but you won't get enough nutrition if you eat it every day.

Higuchi Yuanxiang found a dim sum restaurant that was open at night, not far from the hotel where she was staying. After a hearty dinner, having some dessert as a midnight snack was a perfect meal.

There was only low voices of conversation in the dim sum shop in the commercial building. The salesperson was yawning behind the counter, but when he saw the customers, he perked up and greeted them quickly.

Even at this time, there are still many customers sitting in the store. Most of them are white-collar workers working on computers, and there are also students doing homework on notebooks under the light. There is not much noise in public places, only the relaxing lofi music coming from the speakers behind the bar, which makes people want to relax.

Sakakibara Kaede squeezed Higuchi Yuanxiang's hand and asked, "What do you want to eat?"

By the way, they both wore masks when they went out. In this case, Sakakibara took the initiative to hold Higuchi Madoka's hand, with their fingers crossed like a couple's handshake. Her fingers were slender, soft and smooth, and her palms were a little cool, which was very comfortable to touch. After holding her hand, Higuchi Madoka shook her hand subconsciously, but in the end she acquiesced to Sakakibara's behavior.

Sakakibara Kaede found it somewhat interesting to see such a stubborn Higuchi Madoka. Such step-by-step testing was just a little hobby between lovers.

After taking the cake, they sat in the window seats, looking at the prosperous night view of Osaka below them, speechless for a while.

"When did Feng-san fall in love with you?" Higuchi Madoka drank her coffee silently. This was the American coffee that Sakakibara Feng liked to drink. She didn't like the bitter taste, so she added a lot of milk and sugar, and it eventually became a weird drink.

"Hmm... It should be that time when I talked to Tou-san in the elevator." Sakakibara Kaede recalled, "It was from that time that I started calling Madoka by her name."

"Because Yuanxiang's eyes at that time looked like a kitten about to leave home, I felt a little distressed for some reason."

Higuchi Madoka looked at her unfriendlyly and lightly punched Sakakibara Kaede on the shoulder.

"What about before?"

"Before... I didn't think about it that way at first."

Sakakibara Kaede was a little embarrassed when he said this, but this look of his was what Higuchi Madoka liked the most. "At first I thought of you as an ordinary colleague and friend, um... Later, after you got to know my aunt, I was asked to be a tutor. I felt that Madoka was just an ordinary school girl at that time. Although her expression was cold, she was very enthusiastic and even prepared a lunch box for me."

"An ordinary schoolgirl?" Higuchi Madoka frowned. "Will an ordinary schoolgirl prepare a lunch box for you?"

"I haven't experienced this before. Didn't Feng in Feng Lai Xue Guo eat the lunch box of a school girl?"

Higuchi Madoka glared at Sakakibara Kaede. If he hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten that in the common storyline, Kaede accidentally ate the lunch box of her junior. What a bold Kaede!

"Ahem, let's not talk about this. In fact, I have long been accustomed to Yuanxiang accompanying me. If one day in the future Yuanxiang wants to travel far away, I may bless her with my mouth, but I will definitely feel reluctant in my heart."

"Heh, man."

Higuchi Madoka curled her lips. She found that she would make the same choice. If they kept hanging on without confessing their feelings, and Sakakibara Kaede told her that they were going on a long journey, then Higuchi Madoka would definitely choose to bless him instead of begging her to stay.

No matter how reluctant she is, no matter how sleepless the nights ahead, she will do this.

But speaking of tossing and turning in bed, Higuchi Madoka feels that she will have a sweet dream today.

After eating the cake, Higuchi Madoka paid the bill. The clerk looked at them with a strange look. Sakakibara Kaede smiled and took the hand of the girl next to him. There was no need to explain anything at this time. After all, happiness is something that is in your own hands.

Strolling beside Osaka Castle Park, the Osaka Castle Tower in the distance was gently lit up by white light in the night sky. Higuchi Madoka held the young man's hand with their fingers crossed, feeling that she had gained the whole world at this moment.

She suddenly exerted force and pulled Sakakibara Kaede aside.

"You can see Merlin from here." Sakakibara Kaede stroked Higuchi Madoka's fingers and pointed to the other side of the river.

"look at me."

Higuchi Madoka suddenly said.

The young man turned his eyes away, and when he saw that there was no one around, Higuchi Madoka took off her mask.

He seemed to realize something, took a step forward and gently hugged her body.

Chapter 45: Winning

A kiss under the bustling night, gone in an instant.

The young man stroked his lips and smiled after a moment, "I didn't expect Yuanxiang to be so proactive in this matter."

"Tsk, because someone is too slow."

Higuchi Madoka spat and blushed, then turned her head away and never looked at the young man's face again. But no matter what she said, her hand still did not loosen from Sakakibara Kaede's, and she kept holding it tightly.

"Shall I take you back to the hotel, or does Yuanxiang want to hang out for a while longer?"

"... Let's go back to the hotel. Don't you have to practice tomorrow?"

The girl frowned and snorted. Seeing Sakakibara Kaede scratching his face with a dry laugh, she pulled him aside and said, "It's getting late. You don't have to make time to accompany me."

"Okay, I'll see you off."

Seeing this, Sakakibara Kaede did not continue discussing the matter with Higuchi Madoka, but let her lead the way and take her for a stroll in the charming night of Osaka.

"After my trip to Osaka, what will life be like when I return to Tokyo?"

"Let's keep it the same as before." Sakakibara Kaede replied after thinking for a moment, "I heard you say before that Fukumaru-san wants to apply to the University of Tokyo. You and Tou-san can live with her in the future. Of course, Ichikawa-san will also be taking the college entrance examination at this time next year, so the four of you can live together."

"From your tone, it sounds like you're trying to drive me away."

"How can it be."

The young man gently kneaded Higuchi Yuanxiang's fingers. He coughed twice, "Yuanxiang, you won't abandon your childhood sweetheart just because you like me, right? No one can predict your future life, but the scope of activities will definitely be Tokyo. I'm not a busy person, and I'll always have time to see you if you want."

Higuchi Madoka was silent. She had long been seen through by the young man beside her. No, it should be said that anyone who was just friends with her knew how much she valued the existence of her childhood sweetheart. In her mind, Sakakibara Kaede was the latecomer. She had long been accustomed to the existence of the other three people around her. She had not even imagined the scene of the four of them parting.

"What do you think of Asakura?"

She pursed her lips and finally asked the question.

"Toru..." Speaking of Toru Asakura, Sakakibara Kaede also had a headache, "I can feel Toru's feelings, and I don't want to avoid her, so I just need to make it clear."

"Scumbag."

"I can't defend what you said."

The young man laughed at himself. Although it felt like he was just trying to be a saint when he said this now, he didn’t even have that intention to socialize with his colleagues and friends at first. He had saved money to retire early and travel around the world on a yacht... Or become a complete otaku, staying at home every day playing games, eating takeout, and sleeping whenever he wanted, which was also a good life.

Speaking of this, we have to thank Mai Sakurajima, because she made Kaede Sakakibara realize the truth. She mercilessly broke the outer shell of friends and slapped Kaede Sakakibara to wake him up. Now looking back at what he had done in the past, he couldn't help but sigh. What he originally thought was mutual care between colleagues and friends was interpreted by them as tenderness in the strategy.

No, this is not care for friends, but a blessing that hopes their future will be better.

He stood still, sending warmth and blessings to the girls who passed by him, and then watched them leave. This was the original script, but he didn't expect that one of the girls turned around, reached out her hand, and grabbed him.

"So, we have to think about where we will live in the future, okay?" Higuchi Madoka glared at Sakakibara Kaede fiercely, suppressing the happiness in her heart. She thought Sakakibara Kaede's suggestion was very good, and she would discuss it with Asakura Toru when she returned. Sakakibara Kaede, this scumbag, it's impossible for all five girls to live in the same place in the future, right?

Sakakibara Kaede was also a little embarrassed. He missed the protagonist Kaede in Kaede Comes to Snow Country. What would he say at this moment? Or should he just play dumb and be done with it?

Well, the harem line has to be pushed forward, without any delay!

The two of them came downstairs, and the ten-minute walk took thirty minutes. During this time, they also took a long detour to see the night view of Osaka. The summer nights were much cooler, without the midday heat. But then again, the weather was almost autumn.

"It's been almost three years."

Sakakibara Kaede looked at the twinkling stars in the sky and sighed.

Higuchi Enka glanced at him and said, "It's been three years since I met Mai-san?"

Sakakibara Kaede was at a loss for words, "I've been an actor for almost three years. No, after I met Mai-san, the next person I met in the entertainment industry was you, Madoka."

Higuchi Madoka snorted softly and turned her head away, but this time it was unclear whether she was doing it out of shyness or sulking.

Looking back over the past few years, the moments that appear in Sakakibara Kaede's memory are so bright and vivid. Those fragments of spending time with friends, friends, and people who care about him float in the long river of memory like crystal. These are his most precious treasures.

At this time, he might be able to shout to the stars in the distance, telling them that he has finally found a place called home in this world.

After sending Higuchi Madoka to the downstairs of the hotel, the latter naturally let go of the young man's hand, but unexpectedly, Sakakibara Kaede held her hand in return. The warmth in the palm of his hand made Higuchi Madoka's face blush again.

"Thank you, Yuanxiang, I'm really happy that you responded to me."

"I am... the one who said thank you to you." A faint smile appeared on the corner of Higuchi Yuanxiang's mouth, which formed a great contrast with her usual stern and cold face. The young man stared at her face for a while. The girl noticed the passion and love contained in Sakakibara Kaede's eyes, and the arc of her smile rose again. "You have always taken the initiative with me and never given up on me. I want to say, thank you."

"from now on..."

She didn't finish her words, but just withdrew her hand, waved to Sakakibara Kaede who was standing there in a daze, put her hands behind her back, and left in a good mood.

Faintly, Sakakibara Kaede could hear the song hummed by Higuchi Madoka. It was her personal single called Dreaming of Birds.

One can imagine how the young man felt when he saw Higuchi Madoka speaking her true feelings to him. He was happy and even a little moved.

He even had a desire to drink, and boasted to the middle-aged man sitting next to him that the iron tree had finally blossomed.

After Higuchi Madoka entered the hotel, the faint smile on her face disappeared at some point, but it was still somewhat faintly visible. She entered the elevator, returned to the room, took off her socks and changed her shoes, and found Asakura Toru lying on the bed watching TV, wrapped in only a bathrobe.

She glanced at the air conditioner and saw it was not on.

Higuchi Yuanxiang still said with great disdain, "Asakura, be careful not to catch a cold in this weather."

"Okay... got it."

Asakura Toru stood up obediently, and Higuchi Madoka handed the clothes on the sofa to him, breathed a sigh of relief, and went into the bathroom to wash up.

When she came out, she found that the programs on TV had changed from comedians' complaining shows to movie analysis. It seemed more like Asakura Toru felt that the artists were always talking about the same jokes and he was bored so he chose to change the channel.

"Where are Hina and Koito?"

"Ah, I just finished watching a movie and now I'm sleeping next door."

Higuchi Madoka sighed, "Koito will take the college entrance examination this year, so we can't let him be a bad example."

"Well... should we ask Feng-san if he has time to give Xiaoito extra lessons?" Asakura Toru tilted her head. She had almost forgotten all the knowledge points for the college entrance examination. She remembered them very clearly before the exam, but it seemed very normal for her to forget them after taking each exam.

Although Higuchi Yuanxiang had good academic performance, it was still difficult for her to recall the knowledge points from last year. She nodded and said, "I will discuss it with Feng."

Asakura Toru looked at Higuchi Yuanka in surprise, and the latter hummed, "What's wrong?"

"No, did Feng-san say anything today? I feel like the atmosphere is different."

The atmosphere given by this person was naturally talking about Higuchi Yuanxiang. The girl felt a little uneasy for a moment, but still nodded and admitted it openly, "Hey, when we were eating Western food in the revolving restaurant today, Feng confessed to me."

"Wow--"

Asakura Toru suddenly perked up. She came to Higuchi Madoka's side with a smile and put her arms around her shoulders. "What did you say?"

"It's... it's just a confession."

Higuchi Madoka was urged by Asakura Toru to recall the scene of Sakakibara Kaede's confession, and her face turned red again for a while. Seeing this, Asakura Toru just smiled, and her smile made Higuchi Madoka feel a little guilty.

“It’s a good thing.”

Finally, Higuchi Madoka gave up and stammered, leaning against the pillow without saying anything. Asakura Toru lay beside her and chuckled, "Higuchi, be brave. Good job!"

"snort..."

"Well, am I the only one left?" Asakura Toru put his hands on his stomach and rolled his eyes. "Let's go back to Tokyo. Feng-san is preparing for the concert next. He's too busy. There's no chance."

Higuchi Enka remembered the topic about future residence that Sakakibara Kaede had mentioned to her before, and since Asakura Toru was still energetic, she expressed her thoughts.

Asakura Toru naturally agreed. It would be the best thing for the four of them to live together.

Higuchi Madoka put her worries aside. This might be the happiest day in her heart. After washing up, she lay down on the bed with Asakura Toru and fell asleep quickly.

Inevitably, Sakakibara Kaede was busy again in the next few days. There was only less than a week left before the concert, so it was the right time to practice. Mr. Yamada was busy every day, and Mr. Takisho did not mind sharing his worries, while continuing to teach the different parts of the Kitauji Wind Ensemble. These high school students had a deep understanding after playing with professional musicians. They were all on the same level in terms of spirit and music theory, and they all started to work hard silently. This was a pleasant surprise.

The last day came, and Mr. Yamada expressed his gratitude to everyone, and then quickly disbanded. Today, the disbanding time was relatively early, just after lunch, so that everyone could have enough rest time to face the next four consecutive days of performances.

Although Sakakibara Kaede has been training intensively these days, he still noticed the rapid increase in the number of visitors to Osaka. In addition to some fans who attended the concert he and the band were holding, there were also many music fans who were preparing to attend the offline signing event.

The Osaka city leaders are very satisfied with the expansion of the wind instrumental branch as a result of this event. The traffic and profits brought by World Shining have made many young people happy, while those who are a little older and have more knowledge of music are considering the reasons and possibilities of inviting World Shining to perform in Osaka next time. If that doesn't work, they can also invite Sakakibara Kaede to Osaka as an actor.

However, this idea is actually somewhat unrealistic. Not to mention that the filming location of the TV series has to be surrounded by the crew, the companies in Tokyo will not agree in the first place. Even if they do film, they will consider Tokyo first. It's not a special effects film like Kamen Rider that requires traveling all over the country.

The hotel where Higuchi Madoka stayed was full of people. Similarly, the hotel where the three people from the Konno family stayed was also full. This time the scale was even bigger than the last time in Yokohama. Sakakibara Kaede knew that they had become famous and renowned last time, and the Blu-ray CD sold better than expected. He had seen many videos on video websites that reposted his singing. Of course, these things were copyrighted, so there were only songs, no pictures.

Of course, if Sakakibara really wanted to remove those videos, it would have been easy to do, but he just didn't do it.

A month after the start of school, the days are gradually moving towards autumn and the temperature has dropped significantly, which can be seen from the coats of people walking on the street.

Mai Sakurajima is here and the concert is about to begin.

"You look very tired this time. I won't bother you before the concert, but you have to come and keep me company after the concert."

Seeing the text message sent by Sakurajima Mai, Sakakibara Kaede leaned back on the sofa and smiled. He moved his legs to a more comfortable position and typed a reply on his phone.

After a while, he put down his phone and walked out of the lounge. It must be said that the honey cake provided in the lounge was delicious. The taste of butter combined with the taste of honey made Kaede Sakakibara want to bring some specialties from the Osaka confectionery shop back home.

"Well, we will enter here in turn." Mr. Yamada and Miss Nanakusa were observing the performance venue back and forth. This was of course not his first time here. They had one last rehearsal before disbanding this morning, allowing the musicians with their instruments to take their seats or leave in turn.