Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 268 - 217 Playing and Choices

Chapter 268: Chapter 217 Playing and Choices

"Today’s Bon Festival, how about going to Dogo Onsen for a trip?"

At Hanamaru-san’s suggestion, the plan was happily decided.

On the No. 5 tram from behind Matsuyama Station, there were many young people wearing yukatas.

Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi were still sitting together, but compared to their endless chatter before, this time they were much quieter.

With the sway of the tram, he naturally held her little hand.

The gentle and delicate little hand of the girl, the warmth emanating from the palm was still so familiar.

"Sakura..."

"Hmm." Uesugi Sakura responded.

"..."

Silently for a second, Hanamaru Hanabi didn’t continue her words.

The carriage swayed gently.

The sunlight threading through the tall buildings sprinkled on the rain-cleared window, the winding and falling droplets refracting a crystalline sheen.

"Why... did you stop talking again?" Uesugi Sakura did not look at her face, just tightened his grip on her hand a bit more.

In a pure white little dress, with a small round hat on her head, Hanamaru Hanabi in the tram appeared clean and refined.

She slightly lowered her head, staring at her legs stretching out from under the white skirt, and said:

"If Sakura doesn’t want Hanabi to leave, Hanabi won’t leave..."

"..."

"But isn’t this a great opportunity for Hanabi?" Uesugi Sakura held back a breath in his chest and said, "Most people don’t have such a good development path... After going abroad, whether it’s the drawing Hanabi loves or the university she’ll attend, it’s all great for Hanabi..."

"Tram broadcast: Next stop, Koshigaya-cho, Next stop, Koshigaya-cho"

"And if I meddle too much, for you, Hanabi, it would be a kind of restraint."

The scenery outside the tram windows gradually receded into the distance.

Planes flying over the international airport brought waves of roaring sounds.

Before long, she would be on one of those planes, drawing a straight line of cloud trails, moving far away from his side.

Sitting in the tram now, Uesugi Sakura could already imagine her in the plane, dressed in a clean white dress, embarking on a long journey to a foreign land alone.

The ride from JR Matsuyama Station to Dogo Onsen on the No. 5 tram only takes 30 minutes, during which more and more tourists came for a visit.

Dogo Onsen is a famous tourist attraction in Shikoku Ehime Prefecture, located at the main tourist center of Matsuyama City.

With today’s Bon Festival, the area was bustling, and many shops were decorated in the Edo Period style, creating a special charm to attract local and international tourists for shopping.

On these retro-style streets, you could occasionally see rickshaws and a short iron train passing by.

Due to "My Little Master" (Natsume Soseki), the one-car retro train was quite famous here.

A single ride costs 800 yen.

"I’ve been here several times but haven’t tried the rickshaw?" Hanamaru-san, with her handbag, smiled girlishly, scanning a few unattended rickshaws on the street opposite.

The sign leaning against the car read:

minutes/1500 yen

minutes/2200 yen

minutes/3000 yen

"Isn’t it a bit expensive," Uesugi-san also looked over there, always feeling that the rickshaw wasn’t very interesting, "I’d say, it’s better to take a ride on the coastal tram, the feeling of speeding along the coastline is also great."

"It’s about the experience, travel is all about experiences, the cost doesn’t matter, the coastal tram can be enjoyed every day."

Hanamaru-san smiled, holding her best friend’s arm, trying to drag her along for a ride.

"Are we really going?" Uesugi-san tried to seek help with her eyes from the nearby Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi.

"Of course, a rickshaw ride isn’t just about sitting in a cart, they’re great guides here too, they can show you where the good restaurants are."

Hanamaru-san immediately said, then turned around and asked, "Shio, are you going?"

"Me?"

Uesugi Shio who had been staring at the peculiar clock in the street came to her senses, eating a lollipop, "I’ll pass."

"You must go! It’s on me."

"..."

"Fine." Uesugi Shio agreed.

"As for little Sakura," Hanamaru-san smiled at the young couple in front of her and said, "you and Hanabi can just enjoy yourselves around here, there’s a free footbath up there, you can relax a bit before soaking in the onsen."

Uesugi Sakura nodded.

Once Hanamaru-san and others went to experience the rickshaw ride elsewhere, Uesugi Sakura looked at the slightly unhappy girl beside him, took her hand, and began to walk toward the commercial street.

"Does your aunt know about this?"

"She probably doesn’t know..." Hanamaru Hanabi lowered her small round hat a bit, "I also only heard about it from my dad a few days ago."

So, that’s why you’ve been saying you couldn’t sleep that night?

Continuously walking past girls wearing various styles of yukatas, their styles of dress mostly different.

"Do you want to have a waffle?" Uesugi Sakura looked toward the cake shop on the opposite side of the commercial street, which had a long queue, the outside sign read Mandarin Waffles, Selling Hot.

"Yes..."

"Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?" Uesugi Sakura smiled.

Hanamaru Hanabi shook her head, simply held his hand tighter, she liked the warmth passed from his hand, liked eating with him.

The girl raised her eyebrows, her bright eyes meeting his gaze:

"Let’s eat together."

After lining up for a long time, Uesugi Sakura didn’t feel annoyed.

Just thinking about her leaving him, unable to see her for a long time.

Even if she just sat on the bench across the street and smiled, he would feel incredibly happy and content, let alone being so close now.