Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 32: An Ordinary Morning

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: An Ordinary Morning

The next day,

The morning sunlight once again shone through the loosely closed blinds, its dappled rays gradually warming the air inside the room.

Uesugi Sakura woke up a bit earlier today, and after washing up, he checked the time and found there was still a while before breakfast, so he lay down on bed again, flipping through his phone. Suddenly, yesterday’s scene popped into his mind.

Am I being too scummy?

For some reasons, both of them started school a year earlier than their classmates in the same grade.

Hanabi has to wait until October this year to turn 16.

Yet last night, he actually made a move on a girl who is only 15, someone he has always considered a sister, asking her to be his girlfriend. Thinking about it made him feel weird.

Uesugi Sakura put his phone aside, repeatedly thinking about the name Hanamaru Hanabi, visualizing the face that had slowly transformed from childhood, which felt familiar and endearing.

For her, over ten years might seem short, but for him, it felt quite long.

Uesugi Sakura’s experiences combined from two lifetimes add up to nearly 40 years, which in a sense, makes him quite an old man.

He opened LINE, looking at the familiar avatar of a cartoon shark hugging a fiery red pepper—the strange feeling from before still lingered.

Knock knock...

There was a knock on the door, and the voice of his mother, Uesugi Nobuko, came from outside:

"Sakura, are you up? Breakfast’s ready."

Upon hearing the voice, Uesugi Sakura quickly got up from bed, walked to the door, and opened it.

"Oh, you’re already up," Uesugi Nobuko said with a smile as she looked at Uesugi Sakura, who was fully dressed.

"Mm," Uesugi Sakura replied casually, "What’s for breakfast this morning?"

"Potato curry with miso soup."

"Mm."

It wasn’t the usual Western breakfast, but Uesugi Sakura didn’t say much and followed his mother downstairs to the living room.

His father, Uesugi Kenichi, was leaning on a chair as usual, flipping through pages on the computer on the table, looking leisurely.

But he only had this moment of leisure in the mornings.

The aroma of curry and miso soup filled the air, making even the surrounding air seem appetizing. Uesugi Sakura sat down adeptly on the other side of the table, beginning to enjoy this moment of breakfast time.

Uesugi Kenichi glanced at Uesugi Sakura, who was eating breakfast across from him, and said:

"Seems like you woke up quite early today. Usually, at this time, you’d still be in the washroom getting ready. Did something happen?"

Uesugi Sakura, who was eating, paused slightly. Sometimes he couldn’t help but admire his father’s intuition, guessing something close to the truth from routine things.

"Mm."

Uesugi Sakura answered casually, not quite ready to talk about it yet.

Hearing Uesugi Sakura’s response, Uesugi Kenichi understood that he must have something he didn’t want to share, just like when he was a child.

As a father, he felt he should guide him:

"It’s clear you have something bottled up inside. Even though you’ve always been easy to raise, acting more like an adult than a child, it’s still good to share your concerns. We, as your parents, are here to listen."

"Yeah, Sakura," Uesugi Nobuko, who had just sat down, also smiled at him, "Even during my pregnancy, I felt you wouldn’t be ordinary, but I never expected such an easy child—no cries, no fuss, very obedient and well-behaved."

Uesugi Kenichi was also drawn into reminiscence by his wife’s words and suddenly laughed heartily, leaning back on the chair:

"Haha, indeed! You never liked the toys we bought, always preferring to hold a book. I once thought we had a prodigy in the family, often taking you to the shrine to thank the deities for their gift."

"..."

Uesugi Sakura felt lines of embarrassment cross his face. Though the time was long ago, and he had been a baby then with a hazy memory, he vaguely recalled a few scenes.

The clearest was the wide blue stone approach in the shrine, flanked by towering trees and singing wild birds, creating a tranquil and beautiful setting.

As a baby possessing some past-life memories, those days leaned in the cradle were mind-numbingly dull, finding a modicum of amusement only by watching TV and flipping through books.

"So, Sakura, you can talk with us about your problems. You don’t have to bear everything alone; your parents can share your burdens too."

Uesugi Sakura nodded.

Uesugi Nobuko’s words were always filled with motherly warmth—something palpable.

"It’s not really a problem," Uesugi Sakura said, putting down the salty and savory miso soup, "I just shared my thoughts with Hanabi on our way home yesterday."

"Hmm? Didn’t you usually come home early to study?" Uesugi Nobuko clearly missed the point.

"I joined the Kyudo Club, and I also have study sessions with Mr. Haneda in the evenings."

"So, what’s this thought you mentioned?" Uesugi Kenichi was more interested in this point.

Uesugi Sakura paused, then seriously stated two words:

"Confession."

Upon hearing these two words, Uesugi Kenichi and Uesugi Nobuko exchanged a glance, showing expressions of great delight.

"Haha, good boy, you’ve finally come around. I thought you’d want to be a blockhead for life."

"Did it succeed?" Uesugi Nobuko asked eagerly, her gaze at Uesugi Sakura full of expectation and satisfaction.

Uesugi Sakura nodded.

"Haha, that’s good."

Appearing extremely pleased, Uesugi Kenichi leaned back against the chair again,

"But let me say this upfront, young people often don’t cherish what they have, always shifting their affections. I hope you treat Hanabi well and avoid doing anything excessive. After all, you two are still young and can’t afford the consequences of impulsive actions."

A typical father’s tone, yet Uesugi Sakura didn’t mind and listened earnestly.

Uesugi Nobuko smiled and continued:

"You and Hanabi have known each other for over ten years; our families have been acquainted for just as long, frequently visiting each other. We are both well aware of how you two are, and I trust in your accumulated affection over these years. Keep it up."

"I understand."

Uesugi Sakura replied in his usual tone and returned to eating the potato curry remaining on his plate.

After finishing breakfast and hearing his parents’ advice, Uesugi Sakura slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out the door as his mother called, "Be careful on the way," heading towards the Hanamaru house next door.

The sun had just risen, adding a hint of warmth to Tokyo’s chilly air.

Uesugi Sakura agreed with one of his father’s statements: young people often don’t cherish what they have. Past experiences taught him that even the most dazzling things, if easily obtained, often become overlooked over time.

Once someone possesses something, they forget the feeling of standing on tiptoe, peeking through the shop window to see it.

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