Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 249 - 207 The Day Before the Hanabi Festival, Perhaps a Bit Impatient_2

Chapter 249: Chapter 207 The Day Before the Hanabi Festival, Perhaps a Bit Impatient_2

"We are each other’s sun, illuminating each other’s flaws." Uesugi Sakura smiled at her, "As long as we’re together, it’s always going to be happiness."

Hanamaru Hanabi looked up at him, "Hanabi... will always be by Sakura-kun’s side..."

"You won’t break your promise, right?"

"Never."

Uesugi Sakura caressed her cheek, feeling her cherish this relationship.

No matter if she attained it or not, she would always be the girl trying her best to tiptoe, eyes sparkling, gazing at the novel toys in the cupboard through the window.

No matter how many times it’s repeated, Uesugi Sakura had to repeat one sentence.

Meeting this delicate girl was the luckiest thing in his two lifetimes.

"Little Hanabi, ice cream."

"Sakura-kun wants this piece of Hanabi’s?"

"No, let’s swap." Uesugi Sakura handed over his half-eaten ice cream.

Hanamaru Hanabi hesitated for a moment, then took his ice cream and handed over hers.

The endless blue ocean waves glistened, and the salty sea breeze lifted the hair of the girl under the roadside kiosk.

Though it was someone else’s bitten ice cream, it tasted sweeter than her own.

This fluttering feeling, what... exactly is it?

The 66th wave crashed on the shore.

The ice cream was finished, yet the heart only fluttered more under the blazing sun.

The two of them, without a word, exchanged glances, and the youthful stir in their chests overflowed.

"Hot?"

"Hot..." Hanamaru Hanabi’s slender white arms reflected the light of her skin.

"Sweating a lot?"

Hanamaru Hanabi wrapped her hands between her pale thighs, burying her head shyly and replied:

"Mmm..."

"Do you want to... go home first?" Uesugi Sakura asked slowly.

"Okay..." Hanamaru Hanabi clasped her hands even tighter.

Hand in hand, they returned to the Uesugi Family.

Hanamaru’s mom and Uesugi’s mom went out to visit neighbors to play mahjong, aunt and Uesugi Shio went to see the Orange Garden, and grandpa was away in Matsuyama City.

The spacious house only had Uesugi’s grandmother alone watering flowers in the courtyard.

Dew rolled off the leaves of the Wealth Tree, and the two sneaked past grandma’s sight towards the bathing room.

"Sakura, Sakura-kun... why are we hiding from grandma?"

Uesugi Sakura didn’t answer but turned to the girl with folded hands across her chest, asking, "Is Little Hanabi not shy?"

The answer was naturally affirmative.

Shy Hanamaru Hanabi nodded her little head.

At this moment, Uesugi Sakura felt like taking a girl to do something naughty.

"How about, tomorrow? How about tomorrow?"

"Isn’t tomorrow the Fireworks Festival...? " Hanamaru Hanabi asked.

"Yes."

"As long as Sakura-kun decides..."

The girl in a cool summer dress whispered in a slightly lowered tone.

"Then... a bath?"

"Let’s bathe now."

"Together...?"

"Together."

"Just... a bath?"

"Just a bath." Uesugi Sakura promised.

————————

Uesugi Shio came back to the Uesugi Family at 7 PM, moving the freshly picked oranges from the car to the warehouse.

"Ah, Sakura."

"What’s up?" Uesugi Sakura, who was exercising in the evening glow, turned around.

Feeling somewhat refreshed.

"Come and help out." Uesugi Shio said, then pulled out a rotating machine from the warehouse, a hand-cranked type.

Uesugi Sakura knew what it was for.

"Today’s oranges need sorting?"

"Yes, bigger ones are more valuable and sell better." Uesugi Shio wiped the sweat from her forehead, her dark hair tied into a neat ponytail.

Uesugi Sakura lifted a crate of the day’s freshly picked oranges and poured them into the machine’s metal frame.

Uesugi Shio sat at the sorting machine, cranking the handle.

This sorting machine was equipped with two spiral metal rods inside.

The oranges fall, rolling forward along the spiral pattern that continuously rotated in the middle.

The further out they went, the gaps for falling through became smaller.

Uesugi Sakura was in charge of lifting crates and guiding oranges, while Uesugi Shio sat and operated the machine.

"By the way, why hasn’t Shio been eating lollipops lately?"

"You know why."

Uesugi Shio’s reminder made Uesugi Sakura realize why Shio had been less laid-back lately.

"Should I come on the 16th to take a look?" Uesugi Sakura evenly distributed the oranges, letting them roll toward the spinning machine.

"Having one more person is certainly good."

"Is Uncle going?"

"He’s not willing." Uesugi Shio said with her sapphire eyes lowered.

When he returned this afternoon, Uesugi Sakura saw his uncle, Uesugi Jiro, playing cards in town with some neighbors.

"Shio, grandma asked me to get some oranges." The little helper Hanamaru Hanabi suddenly ran over.

Uesugi Shio looked up, the blue of her ears glinting under the evening sun, and she smiled, saying:

"Is it for fruit daifuku?"

"Yes." Hanamaru Hanabi nodded her little head.

Fruit daifuku is made from cooked sticky rice flour wrapped around various fruits.

In Katsukari Town, the fruit in fruit daifuku usually only consisted of oranges.

"Need me to help bring it over?"

"No, not too much is needed." Hanamaru Hanabi quickly said, "My aunt also brought back a lot of fruit from the city yesterday."

Speaking of specialties, Katsukari Town only had oranges.

No matter how delicious, the flavor had to be varied a bit.

Compared to the ones in town, the fruits in the city were relatively cheaper.

Though they were still quite expensive because of the Farmers’ Association.

"Alright, I’ll pack some for you."

Uesugi Shio got up to find a bag in the warehouse.

Only two people were left.

The little Hanabi, who was bold in the afternoon, couldn’t look at him again.

"Shy again?" Uesugi Sakura laughed and said.

"Sakura-kun... always lies."

The girl referred to their agreement to only bathe that afternoon.

"Little Hanabi lied to me yesterday, today I lied to Little Hanabi, it’s called equivalent exchange."

Hanamaru Hanabi pouted, knowing she couldn’t argue with him, she quickly helped Uesugi Shio with the oranges and rushed back home.

"Ah, Sakura," Uesugi Shio sat back beside the machine, saying, "I won’t go to the fireworks festival tomorrow."

"Why not?"

"I have no reason to go." Uesugi Shio stated bluntly, "Don’t you think a fireworks festival alone just adds to loneliness?"

"A fireworks festival alone?"

Though Uesugi Sakura, always accompanies by Hanabi during previous festivals, hadn’t experienced it, he could understand the feeling.

Like going alone for cancer surgery in a hospital.

"Shio, I think you need a boyfriend to talk to."

"At least, not now." Uesugi Shio said.

"Grandma wants to go this year too." Uesugi Sakura tried persuading her, lately, her spirits seemed low.

"Grandpa will be with her."

"And aunt, uncle, since they’re single, you can play with my mom and mother-in-law, they’ll look after you." Uesugi Sakura lifted another crate of oranges, poured it in.

"Ah, Sakura... do you really want me to go?" Uesugi Shio looked at him under the evening glow.

Despite his fondness for tricking her into doing work since childhood, Shio had a deep feeling for her cousin, Little Hanabi.

"No."

While guiding the oranges, Uesugi Sakura furrowed his brow, "Is Shio hiding something from us?"

"Why would I?" Uesugi Shio’s sapphire eyes dropped, continuing to crank the sorter.

Uesugi Sakura felt more and more uneasy.

"Then let me ask, Shio’s Sword Dao competition prize of 500,000, where did it go?"

"Of course, it’s saved." Uesugi Shio stated calmly.

"Did Uncle get into debt again?"

Uesugi Shio stopped cranking the sorter and gave a self-mocking chuckle.

"I shouldn’t have let you help today."

"Shio—"

"Ah, Sakura," Uesugi Shio interrupted him with a quiet voice, "This time, I don’t want to burden the family anymore. Let my father deal with what he did alone, this time, don’t bother with him."

"How much is owed?"

"..."

After a brief silence.

"After the Fireworks Festival tomorrow... let’s talk about it." The dusk light shone on Uesugi Shio’s colorless profile.

"Before then, I hope Ah, Sakura won’t tell Auntie or Grandma about this... I don’t want to disturb their moods for tomorrow."