Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 291 - 229: Daily Life in London

Chapter 291: Chapter 229: Daily Life in London

The afternoon sunlight gently spilled into the room on the second floor.

The greenery on the desk reflected a transparent light, while the paintings on the wall appeared bright and clear.

Most of them were watercolor landscapes, including the lake surrounded by red maples.

As expected, at this time, Hanamaru Hanabi was still sleeping.

Her fair feet peeked out from the end of the bed, exposed in the beam of light from the window.

She hugged the quilt tightly, her hair slightly disheveled, yet her cute face remained a subtle soft pink.

Uesugi Sakura walked over and poked her face.

"Mmm—" the girl let out a soft whimper.

He poked her again.

Hanamaru Hanabi turned in bed, whispering dreamily: "Yuuki-chan... don’t tease me, Hanabi still wants to... still wants to sleep a little longer..."

Seeing her like this, Uesugi Sakura couldn’t help but smile.

Although he still couldn’t bring her back, at least he could see her lazy sleeping face once again from this close.

Looking at Hanamaru Hanabi’s soft lips, he couldn’t help but lean down to gently kiss them.

The girl’s breaths were close and soothing, with a sweet scent.

Her tender lips and the youthful fragrance lingering between them made him want to hold her and kiss her longer.

The intimacy grew, and so did the rapid beating beneath his throat.

Humans are always greedy, and when his lips touched the sleeping girl’s again, this emotion that stretched to the depths of his heart made it hard for him to part.

In her slumber, Hanamaru Hanabi felt her lips being muffled, as if something was blocking them, so she furrowed her brows.

When she opened her eyes and found someone secretly kissing her while she was asleep, she hurriedly pushed against his chest with both hands.

"Sakura, Sakura-kun!!"

After pushing him away and turning her head, she glanced at him with her clear eyes after waiting for a while.

"Hanabi, you know, love can disappear."

"Sakura-kun...?"

"Don’t you feel that the initial sparks of love between us have faded?"

Hanamaru Hanabi, sitting on the bed, couldn’t quite understand what he meant, thinking he was upset with her.

"I’m sorry, has Hanabi... become annoying?"

Uesugi Sakura said nothing, just looked at her.

Hanamaru Hanabi panicked, avoiding his eyes, and clutched the quilt covering her legs, thinking he was indeed mad at her.

"...I’m sorry, Hanabi can’t go back for the time being..."

"Why?"

"Because... because Hanabi promised her teacher... to participate in the competition."

"Is it that you don’t want to go back with me...?"

"...No, it’s not that at all..."

"I like you."

Hanamaru Hanabi stared at him blankly, her cheeks turning red.

"Sakura-kun... you don’t find Hanabi annoying?"

"The romance may have faded, but for us who’ve known each other for twelve years, isn’t a peaceful life what truly matters?"

Uesugi Sakura took her hand, which wore a ring, gazed into her violet eyes, and softly said:

"Perhaps many years ago, Hanabi was already my wife."

September 22nd, Monday, clear weather.

"Sakura! One iced latte!"

"Two Blue Mountain Coffees!"

"One Irish!"

Unlike the boss lady’s urgent shouts, Uesugi Sakura calmly ground the coffee beans.

It wasn’t that he was very skillful, but as a newcomer, he needed to approach everything steadily.

Infusion, filtering, steaming, he used somewhat clumsy techniques to make a Cup of Irish Coffee.

"Not bad at all, you’ve only been learning for two weeks, and you can already prepare an Irish," the barista holding a British Shorthair cat observed his methods.

"I have to thank Mr. Blaise for the opportunity," Uesugi Sakura said as he topped the coffee with foam and placed the cup on a tray for a waiter to serve.

Irish coffee is essentially a cocktail using Irish whiskey as its base, mixed with sugar, cream, and espresso.

The trick is in caramelizing the sugar with fire, which helps melt the sugar and volatilize the alcohol, releasing its fragrance.

Having a rich and refreshing aroma is a crucial criterion for judging the quality of an Irish Coffee.

Uesugi Sakura sealed the leftover whiskey and placed it back in the overhead cabinet.

Mr. Blaise, wearing a waistcoat, had a black bow tie at the collar of his white shirt. He was stroking the lazy head of a British Shorthair in his arms and said:

"I find Sakura to be very talented. Several regulars often specifically request you to make their brew."

Uesugi Sakura humbly said, packing away the equipment he’d just used to make coffee.

Blaise curiously asked, "Sakura, how long do you plan on working here?"

"I should be going back soon."

Seemingly regretting that he would soon leave, Blaise sighed and said:

"Oh dear, what if I let the owner offer you £4,500 a month? You could stay here to work."

£4,500 exceeds the monthly income of 96% of people in the UK, which is about 40,000 RMB.

"Thanks for the kind offer, but I came to London just to bring her home."

Blaise nodded:

"That’s a pity, I honestly believe you could quickly surpass my skills and compete in the WCSC (World Coffee Championships)."

Uesugi Sakura had been working at this Soho café for two weeks, mostly learning under the guidance of Mr. Blaise, the lead barista.

Brewing coffee can be complex or simple, requiring patience and a steady hand.

When he arrived, it was Mrs. Margaret who helped him secure this temporary job.

The Soho café is well-located with a fresh décor, neither too busy nor too quiet for customers dropping by for a cup of coffee.

At least Uesugi had work to do during his time there.

After the last customer left, the rare idle owner, Mrs. Anna, leaned on the bar and asked Uesugi Sakura:

"Sakura, how about having your fiancée make desserts here for us?"

Anna Natalia Fischer was the owner of the Soho café, 35 years old, and passionate about money and coffee, often wearing her hair in braids.

Uesugi Sakura knew what the boss lady was getting at.

When Hanabi wasn’t having classes, she’d come here to help make desserts, and many regulars loved her pastries.

The boss lady was simply trying to attract more customers, to make more money for herself.

"She still has classes to attend."

"That’s quite unfortunate," the boss lady said. "Where does she study?"

"The Royal College of Art," Uesugi Sakura replied.

The boss lady looked at him with a peculiar expression.

Uesugi Sakura noticed her expression:

"Is there a problem?"

"Nothing, but that’s a school for the wealthy."

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