Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 290 - 228: Going to London_2

Chapter 290: Chapter 228: Going to London_2

It’s not just about looking.

Uesugi Sakura was silent for a while, then said: "Although it might sound rude, I came... to ask you to go back..."

...

...

Then, he turned his head and saw the girl’s evasive eyes, not daring to meet his gaze:

"I’m sorry, Sakura-kun, Hanabi can’t go back yet."

Buzz... buzz...

The phone suddenly rang.

But Uesugi Sakura just sat in place, without any movement.

——————————

Late night 5:12

White City, London, England, having just had an introduction from Uncle Yugetsu over the phone, Uesugi Sakura temporarily moved into a villa apartment.

The house had multiple herringbone wooden sloped roofs and red brick walls. Opening the bedroom window, a fountain at the junction of three pedestrian streets could be seen.

The interior decoration was more modern, but both the bedroom and living room each retained an old-fashioned fireplace.

Because he arrived late, it was only after lunchtime the next day that he managed to wake from a Simmons feather bed.

London was much colder compared to Tokyo.

There, he was still wearing short sleeves, but here he had to put on a coat to keep warm.

Fortunately, the sun was bright. Uesugi Sakura put on clothes, leaned his hands by the window, and felt the warmth of the sunlight on his face.

Gothic buildings lined both sides of the streets, with many people leisurely strolling at the junction of the three pedestrian streets, a handsome young man playing saxophone, beautiful girls chatting and laughing outside a café, and English ladies pushing strollers on a walk.

It was also the first time Uesugi Sakura had the opportunity to enjoy such exotic scenery, a rare delight.

However, he knew that this area was considered a wealthy district; when leaving the airport by taxi, he saw quite a few homeless people drunk on the streets.

Regardless, he had to return to reality. What Uesugi Sakura needed to consider now was how to persuade Hanabi to go back.

He stared at the fountain in the middle of the street, gradually lost in thought.

"Ding-dong—"

Uesugi Sakura snapped back to reality, understanding it was his doorbell ringing, and went downstairs, leisurely opening the wooden door.

Standing outside was an elderly English lady with white hair, wearing gold-rimmed anti-slip chain glasses.

She was holding a basket of bread covered with a white cloth.

"Mr. Uesugi, I suppose you haven’t had lunch yet?"

Uesugi Sakura was somewhat puzzled because he didn’t know this old lady, so he replied in English:

"This is...?"

"The guidance of fate."

The old lady smiled and said a proverb, then continued: "Mr. Hanamaru once lived here, and I am also the landlady here. Mr. Uesugi can call me Margaret."

"Mrs. Margaret." Uesugi Sakura politely said.

Mrs. Margaret smiled, lifting the basket in her hand: "Good child, let me in first; the peanut butter won’t be as tasty if it gets cold in a while."

Uesugi Sakura immediately made way:

"Please come in."

Mrs. Margaret stood beside the square dining table in the living room, took out the bread, eggs, milk, jam, and peanut butter together from the basket.

The living room was well-lit, able to enjoy the majority of sunlight from morning to noon.

Uesugi Sakura took two sets of plates and cutlery from the hanging cabinet in the kitchen and placed them on the table.

Mrs. Margaret said:

"This is breakfast, but since Mr. Uesugi seems to be sleeping each time I come by, I don’t disturb by entering. But it would be a shame to waste so much at once, so I have to trouble Mr. Uesugi to accompany me to have this late breakfast."

Uesugi Sakura asked: "Did Mrs. Margaret not eat breakfast?"

Margaret chuckled, then apologized: "Since it’s Mr. Uesugi’s first time here, I should apologize for my oversight."

"Oversight?"

Uesugi Sakura arrived at this house very late last night, and even though fatigue fogged his mind, he knew the place was thoroughly cleaned, and even the bed was neatly made.

After unpacking, he fell asleep immediately.

Mrs. Margaret tidied her light-colored trench coat, sitting on a chair carved with floral patterns.

While spreading jam on bread, she smiled and said:

"I knew Mr. Uesugi probably arrived late in London and wouldn’t wake early, but I still baked bread early and came by several times."

Mrs. Margaret placed the jam-covered bread on the plate in front of Uesugi Sakura, then turned and smiled:

"I hope Mr. Uesugi won’t mind; when I was young, kids used to tease me: ’As bad as Miss Margaret’s baked bread!’"

Seemingly reminiscing about the past, Margaret’s smile under her golden glasses widened.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t see anything "bad" in the bread on the plate. As he took a bite, he felt the bread’s softness and fragrance.

Compared to ordinary industrially produced packaged bread, it was heavenly.

"It’s delicious."

Mrs. Margaret also smiled and nodded: "I’m very happy that Mr. Uesugi likes it."

This apartment seemed exquisitely decorated, with the chairs and solid wood table also expensive. Mrs. Margaret likely owned more than one house, suggesting she was a wealthy married woman.

Yet, she didn’t seem to have the attitude of a wealthy person and was quite kind to him as a tenant.

Perhaps this was a cultural difference in the West, where landlords even had breakfast with tenants.

—Though, he, Uesugi, hadn’t paid any rent.

He tried to strike up a conversation and asked:

"Mrs. Margaret, when you mentioned Mr. Hanamaru earlier, were you referring to Hanamaru Yugetsu?"

"Yes, Mr. Hanamaru and her sister lived here for a while, a lovely young couple."

Yugetsu’s sister is Hanamaru Yuzuki, which means she is Hanabi’s aunt.

It seems her daughter also studied here with Hanabi.

Mrs. Margaret dabbed her mouth with a napkin: "Mr. Uesugi came here to take Miss Hanamaru back to Tokyo? Hmm, Yugetsu told me."

"Yes."

"Did you tell her the purpose?" Mrs. Margaret noticed a ring on his unnamed finger, the same ring she had seen on Hanamaru Hanabi’s hand.

"She...seems unwilling to return with me."

"She refused you?" Mrs. Margaret had an incredulous expression, then said, "When she was staying here, I often saw her thinking of you, I understand that, a girl’s longing."

"Perhaps... she has other things on her mind."

Throughout enjoying this late breakfast, Uesugi Sakura pondered the reasons for the refusal.

Was it because he spoke too fast?

Did his immediately stating his purpose right after getting off the plane overwhelm Hanamaru Hanabi, who was trying to adapt to the new environment?

Hanabi lived just across the street, and during the conversation with Mrs. Margaret, he learned that her cousin also lived there.

That was also Mrs. Margaret’s house.

On the street, pigeons pecked at bread crumbs scattered by residents beside the fountain.

Today was Sunday, and Hanabi probably wouldn’t have classes.

Uesugi Sakura decided to visit the house across the street.

The house was next to a roadside café, with a balcony on the second floor for having tea.

He walked to the doorway adorned with potted greenery, and knocked on the door.

After waiting a short while.

The door was opened by Hanabi’s cousin, Hanamaru Yuuki.

She clearly recognized Uesugi Sakura as well and squinted her eyes:

"Oh~ here to see Hanabi, huh."

"Yes."

Hanamaru Yuuki pulled the door open with a smile and said: "Alright, alright, come on in, but let’s make it clear, the first floor is mine, and the second floor is Hanabi’s."

Uesugi Sakura didn’t mind her, but once he stepped in, the room was filled with drawing boards and paint splattered across the floor.

It was so messy, everything was just piled up together.

"You this..."

"This is art," Hanamaru Yuuki said nonchalantly, tilting her head at him, "Want to see my latest painting ’Girl in the Pool’?"

She pointed to a painting on an easel, mostly dominated by blue color.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t want to nitpick but also didn’t want to flatter her, though he had to admit it was well drawn.

At least it captured the beauty of the girl very well.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

"No, and I want you to look at my painting, not worry about whether I’ve eaten."

Uesugi Sakura knew if she hadn’t eaten, then Hanabi hadn’t eaten either.

Hanamaru Yuuki asked with a slight smugness: "How’s the painting? Just finished it a couple of days ago."

"Yeah, very good, at least it’s at a level that an ordinary person like me can appreciate."

Uesugi Sakura gave some perfunctory comments, then walked past several paint-stained boxes, made his way up the wooden spiral staircase, and headed to the second floor.

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