Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 315 - 243: The Cherry Blossom Girl

Chapter 315: Chapter 243: The Cherry Blossom Girl

Cherry blossoms lined both sides of the path, their pink petals stretching along the branches to the river’s surface, the gentle ripples carried by the wind startling the fish beneath into sudden movement.

Uesugi Sakura held the small hand beside him, unwilling to let go.

"Why not move in together?"

When Hanamaru Hanabi turned to look at him, she suddenly stopped walking, reached out with her other hand to touch his face, and said softly, moved:

"Sakura... are you okay?"

Uesugi Sakura had seen this expression on her before—only when she was worried did she reveal such a look:

"Why... do you ask that?"

"Sakura... you’re crying."

"Crying?"

Uesugi Sakura touched the corner of his eye with his index finger, and on his fingertip, there was a single, crystal-clear, sorrowful tear.

Hanamaru Hanabi sensed the sudden surge of sadness within him, "Sakura... are you okay?"

Uesugi Sakura looked at the concerned face of the girl gazing at him; under the swaying Sakura tree, her appearance was both beautiful and stirring, and the tears... kept flowing unchecked.

"I... don’t know... why..."

Hanamaru Hanabi quickly took out a fragrant handkerchief from her waist pouch, wrapped it in her hand, and reached out bit by bit to gently wipe the tears flowing down his cheeks.

Reflected in his eyes was the sight of her extending her hand upwards, and the more he looked at her, the more the tears uncontrollably rolled down.

"Hanabi, I—"

"This is the first time I’ve seen Sakura cry."

Hanamaru Hanabi suddenly laughed and slowly said in a soft voice, "I’ve heard that tears are gathered from feelings—sadness, grief, pain, joy... When they rise in the heart, tears quietly fall."

"Tears always flow at the end of stories, when everything is over, I think... Sakura’s tears now must be tears of joy, happy to be here with Hanabi admiring the cherry blossoms."

The girl’s gentle, radiant smile seemed to make the whirling petals even brighter.

Uesugi Sakura watched her for a long time, then turned away, smiled, shook his head, and continued to stroll with her inside the Imperial Garden:

"Can Hanabi be that confident?"

Hanamaru Hanabi hooked onto his arm, resting her cheek on his shoulder, "For Sakura, I can."

The more she said this, the happier and more content Uesugi Sakura felt, the warmth pressed close to him was a real reminder of the presence of this girl.

He wanted to see her smile, wanted her to be part of his life.

Under the Sakura tree by the riverbank ahead, Uesugi Sakura could see Hanamaru Hanami riding on her father’s shoulders joyfully, while Lady Hanamaru smiled watching, and even his father-in-law was smiling, which was rare to see such a happy expression on his face.

"Let’s... still move in together."

"Sakura... up to no good again."

"I promise—"

Hanamaru Hanabi suddenly reached out to press a finger against his lips, then embarrassedly lowered her head, shyly whispering, "It’s okay, it’s okay."

"Does that mean we can live together?"

"Yes."

"What if I can’t hold back and do bad things?"

"That’s... also a kind of love..." Hanamaru Hanabi spoke slower and slower, her weak voice stammering, "Besides... Sakura... it’s been a long time since... Hanabi helped."

Her voice became so low that even Uesugi Sakura, who had heard her soft voice for over ten years, couldn’t hear what she was saying.

"Can you... say it again...?"

"Say it again... again..."

Blushing, Hanamaru Hanabi couldn’t bring herself to say it again and continued walking under the Sakura trees with him for a long while before finally dodging the gazes of nearby tourists, secretly pulling out his finger with her small hand, pinching it lightly.

Then her small hand slowly retreated and clasped together, and she lowered her head, saying nothing more.

Uesugi Sakura understood and realized he had led her astray. She was once such an innocent girl.

She used to know nothing.

"Hanabi read online that boys can feel uncomfortable, and so she often does bad things."

Uesugi Sakura suddenly felt embarrassed to look at her; even the beautiful cherry blossoms before him seemed less appreciable.

...

After finishing their stroll in the Imperial Garden and sitting quietly on the lawn to eat rice balls, Hanamaru Hanami crawled over from the other side, calling in a childish voice:

"Sister~"

"That’s brother."

Seeing her lying on him asking for food, Uesugi Sakura knew she was hungry and asked Hanamaru Hanabi beside him, "Is it okay to give Hanami some rice balls?"

Hanamaru Hanabi, who was holding the sleeping Uesugi Shin, replied:

"She can eat, but not too much, just one or two bites."

With Hanabi saying so, Uesugi Sakura had no worries.

He broke off a small piece of rice ball and fed it into his eight-toothed niece’s mouth.

It quickly disappeared into her stomach.

Children are the hardest to satisfy. After one bite, they want another. Uesugi Sakura fed her piece by piece, getting his fingers nibbled along with the rice ball multiple times.

His own sister was too young, so he could only tease himself with Hanabi’s sister, whose laughter filled the air when lifted up.

Her round, chubby, adorable face was quite healing.

Uesugi Sakura placed her in front of him, unable to resist pinching her cheeks, then moved to pinch her sister’s cheeks.

"Sakura... what are you doing?"

"Just wanted to see whose cheeks between little Hanabi and little Hanami feel better."

"Which one is better?"

With their parents sitting across chatting, Uesugi Sakura leaned forward and gently tapped her face, smiling:

"Of course, little Hanabi’s feels better."

Hanamaru Hanami saw Uesugi Sakura kiss her sister and understood what it meant, "Kiss! Kiss!"

Hanamaru Hanabi also reached out, pinching her sister’s tender cheeks, "Hanami is only one year old!"

Uesugi Sakura smiled and said, "That’s why Hanabi’s face is as soft as a baby’s face."

Looking at the girl in the white dress, shy and charming, he felt a bit tempted again, "Hanabi, I want to kiss you."

"Not now... not here..."

"At home then?"

"At home... it’s okay."

"How long can I kiss?"

"Five... five minutes..."

"No, it has to be an hour."

Hanamaru Hanabi, hugging her sister, blushed, "Okay..."

——————————

Today, it was a rare holiday, and after the families returned from enjoying cherry blossoms at Shinjuku Imperial Garden, they also planned to have Sukiyaki together at the Hanamaru house in the evening.

...

The closed curtains allowed only dim light to seep through.

Uesugi Sakura kissed the girl pressed against the wardrobe, holding her slender waist, feeling a bit heated.

"Sakura... it’s enough... Hanabi still needs to take a bath..."

"We’ll go later..." he quickly corrected, "No, let’s go together."

Hanamaru Hanabi hesitated, "But, my parents are still downstairs preparing dinner."

"Isn’t there a bathroom on the second floor? We’ll go there."

"What if we’re discovered..." The girl still feared the embarrassment of being caught by her parents bathing together, making it difficult for either side to speak.

"We won’t be, as long as we’re careful."

The shower splashed, creating a warm mist.

Uesugi Sakura sat on a small stool, helping to wash the girl’s slender, fair back.

"Sakura... maybe Hanabi should do it herself..." Hanamaru Hanabi held a white towel to her chest, blushing.

"Am I not washing comfortably?" Uesugi Sakura used a loofah on the girl’s soft skin, a mass of bubbles covering more than the white towel in front could hide.

"That’s not the reason."

"I know Hanabi is shy, but even then, she should overcome it a bit."

Uesugi Sakura set down the loofah, moving the small stool forward, and as he got closer to the girl, he supported her soft waist with one hand, sliding it along her abdomen and further down...

"Sakura!"

Uesugi Sakura knew she didn’t actually dislike bad things, she was just purely shy.

His hands moved gently, while supporting her petite shoulders with another hand, guiding her slowly... to lean into his embrace, massaging her shoulders.

"Sakura... don’t..." Hanamaru Hanabi’s weak voice was almost feeble in protest.

Uesugi Sakura whispered to the girl in his arms, "Relax... relax a bit more..."

The sound of the shower was like gentle rain falling, the bathroom heater’s light and the rising steam both bringing warmth.

...

After a short while, her adorable little feet suddenly clasped the ground tightly, her pink-white delicate toes curling inward quickly.

...

In the warm bathwater, Hanamaru Hanabi tightly hugged her knees, her face buried deep, hidden from view.

"Sakura... H."

...

In the Hanamaru family living room, a TV program was playing, and the Sukiyaki ingredients were already laid out on the table.

Uesugi Sakura sat on the sofa, feeding three-month-old Uesugi Shin in advance.

Mrs. Uesugi asked, "Sakura, where’s Hanabi?"

Uesugi Sakura: "I think she’s still taking a bath."

"She’s been in there for quite a while, is everything alright?"

"It’s fine, girls always take a long time in the bath."

While feeding, Uesugi Sakura noticed the bright eyes of Uesugi Shin watching him.

Perhaps it was the bond of blood; he always felt an instinctual concern for her.

Curiously, he had the same feeling for Hanami.

Both little ones shared the same adorableness.

Though called sisters, they could actually be regarded as daughters.

"I always feel that you’re very patient, Sakura."

"Patience, huh..."

Beef, radish, tofu, mushrooms, kombu, seaweed... filled the small table, and Mrs. Hanamaru took the effort to remove a few cans of beer that the two fathers had prepared.

"Honestly, even after drinking so much during the cherry blossom viewing in the morning, they still want more at night."

Shaking her head, as Mrs. Hanamaru turned towards the kitchen, she encountered Hanamaru Hanabi, who had just come down after bathing.

Noticing her flushed face, her head hung low, looking a bit out of spirits.

"Oh, Hanabi, are you catching a cold?"

Hanamaru Hanabi paused, "No, not at all..."

"Then why’s your face so red?"

Hanamaru Hanabi stammered, "Maybe... from just finishing the bath..."

Mrs. Hanamaru sensed something off about her daughter, concluding from her demeanor and language—something was being avoided.

Glancing at Uesugi Sakura, who had also just bathed upstairs, Mrs. Hanamaru understood, her expression softening with a smile:

"Just go sit on the sofa for a while, we can start eating soon."

"Mm... okay..."

As Hanamaru Hanabi saw Uesugi Sakura, she shyly lowered her head and walked over.