Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 40 Hanamaru Hiroki as a Father

Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Hanamaru Hiroki as a Father

"..."

Uesugi Sakura fell silent, under that sharp gaze, he even began to doubt whether the Hanamaru Hiroki before him was the same Hanamaru Hiroki he knew before.

"I say, you kid, what are you dazing there for? Pour the tea!"

"Ah... okay."

Uesugi Sakura paused for a moment, then noticed the empty cup on the coffee table in front of Hanamaru Hiroki, walked over, picked up the ceramic teapot beside it, and poured a cup of barley tea.

The sound of flowing water, the barley tea in the cup gently swaying.

The lively and clear voice of the NHK host on the TV continued to echo.

Hanamaru Hiroki, with his legs crossed, looked at Uesugi Sakura’s hands handing over the teacup without any movement.

"..."

As time slowly passed, Uesugi Sakura’s sore arm also began to gently shake.

The light orange barley tea in the cup rippled, reflecting Hanamaru Hiroki’s stern expression.

Time continued to pass slowly...

The ripples in the teacup became increasingly dense, and the fragrance from the kitchen grew stronger.

Uesugi Sakura still did not put down the teacup in his hand, maintaining the slightly bowed posture of offering tea.

Hanamaru Hiroki stared for a long time, looking sternly at the face of Uesugi Sakura, feeling very complex, after a mental struggle, sighed, and said:

"Forget it, put it down, I don’t feel like drinking right now."

Uesugi Sakura obediently placed the teacup steadily on the coffee table, his hands still trembling slightly from the earlier strain.

The training of the Kyudo Club was very professional and extremely exhausting, making it difficult for Uesugi Sakura to maintain the posture of offering tea for long.

The fact that the teacup didn’t spill earlier was only due to his own willpower holding on.

Hanamaru Meiko was still busy cooking in the kitchen, and Hanamaru Hanabi was changing clothes upstairs, not coming down.

Uesugi Sakura sat carefully next to Hanamaru Hiroki.

At this moment, Hanamaru Hiroki’s aura was so strong that Uesugi Sakura didn’t dare to make a sound.

Hanamaru Hiroki looked at the wide LCD TV in front of him and said to Uesugi Sakura beside him:

"I knew there would be a day like this for you, and I didn’t expect you to always see Hanabi as a sister, but when you made your move, it was really straightforward."

"I—"

Uesugi Sakura was about to speak but was immediately interrupted by Hanamaru Hiroki, his stern tone carrying a hint of emotion.

"You don’t need to explain anything, I understand it all. After all, you all are entering adolescence, it’s normal for emotions to arise between boys and girls, especially since you two grew up together and share inseparable bonds."

Uesugi Sakura remained silent, not daring to interrupt Hanamaru Hiroki, feeling like he was caught doing something bad by his parents.

Hanamaru Hiroki crossed his arms, turned to look at him, with an extremely serious expression:

"Hanabi has depended on you since she was young. I saw the signs a long time ago, and now it’s getting deeper and inseparable. She trusts you very much, and I’m afraid she would believe any lie you tell her, this is the accumulation over more than ten years.

"Correspondingly, you, who possess her trust, absolutely must not, must not betray that trust."

"Now I can tell you, I come from the Investigation First Division, you know what this job means."

"If you ever do something excessive in the future," Hanamaru Hiroki paused, his eyes narrowed slightly, his tone growing heavier, "I will find you at the first opportunity, no matter what reason you have, the outcome will only be the same.

"Do you understand?"

The last question was pronounced very clearly, the heavy and stern tone directly striking Uesugi Sakura’s rapidly beating heart.

From the beginning, Hanamaru Hiroki’s aggressive presence had been constantly oppressing Uesugi Sakura, causing his heart to tighten.

The last few words revealed an old and ruthless strength, completely eclipsing his previous image as a good father.

This reminded Uesugi Sakura of what Hanamaru Hanabi had said about Hanamaru Hiroki’s identity.

——Police Chief

Moreover, he was a Police Chief in Tokyo Shinjuku.

Shinjuku, as a gathering place of Tokyo’s red-light district, gathered many varied people, whether patrons, gamblers, or the underworld, there would be traces here.

And as a police officer working here, facing off against these people is inevitable.

Being the Police Chief, second only to the Chief in the local police department, Hanamaru Hiroki naturally has the corresponding strength and charisma.

Although this was a drastic transformation from the Hanamaru Hiroki known to Uesugi Sakura.

But without a doubt, this is indeed another side of his good father, the side of a police officer, even the side of society.

"Understood." Uesugi Sakura nodded seriously to him.

"Your attitude is acceptable," Hanamaru Hiroki’s stern expression gradually receded, "but your physical strength is lacking, with your hands shaking just from holding a teacup. From today, come here every night to learn Sword Dao with me. As a man, how can you protect anyone without some strength?"

"Yes..."

Uesugi Sakura could only bow his head in response, making himself appear more sincere, no matter how harsh, he was now considered his prospective father-in-law.

Can a son-in-law refuse his father-in-law’s words?

Moreover, he originally intended to learn Sword Dao from Hanamaru Hiroki, so it was just going along with the flow.

Under the oppressive aura of Hanamaru Hiroki, Uesugi Sakura, exhausted, could only comfort himself like this.

At this time, footsteps sounded upstairs, and Hanamaru Hanabi, dressed in casual home wear, came down, noticing something was off in the atmosphere in the living room, feeling a bit worried, went over and asked:

"Did... did Dad and Uesugi-kun have a fight...?"

"Haha,"

Seeing Hanamaru Hanabi’s worried little face, Hanamaru Hiroki immediately smiled, "Of course not, just talking to Sakura about something. Sakura was just happily saying he wants to learn Sword Dao with me, right, Sakura?"

"..." Uesugi Sakura could only look up at Hanamaru Hanabi, trying to squeeze out a smile on his face, "Uncle Hiroki is right, it’s just Hanabi overthinking it, we had a very harmonious conversation."

Hanamaru Hiroki’s smile was very natural and comforting, completely different from the stern appearance earlier, just like the good father image seen since childhood, without revealing any flaw.

Coupled with what Uesugi Sakura just said, Hanamaru Hanabi completely believed it.

Her face immediately showed a very happy, bright smile:

"Mm!"

"Whew~ whew~ all right, everyone, dinner is ready!"

Hanamaru Meiko, wearing gloves, hurriedly placed the pot on the table, calling towards the three in the living room.

"Smells so good."

Hanamaru Hanabi sniffed her nose, smelled the spicy aroma, immediately turned around, her eyes shimmering with joy, "It’s spicy curry!"

The expression on Hanamaru Meiko’s face also looked very happy, she smiled and said, "Yes, it’s Hanabi’s favorite super spicy beef curry, come quickly to eat."

Hanamaru Hanabi quickly ran over, sat on a chair, and waved to the two in the living room, shouting:

"Dad, Uesugi-kun."

"Coming!"

Hanamaru Hiroki stood up with a smile, patted Uesugi Sakura on the shoulder, and walked towards the dining table.

"..."

The aroma of the food gradually permeated the air, under the orange-yellow light, everything around became warm and comforting.

"A family... maybe..."

Uesugi Sakura looked at the smiling family of three in front of him, murmuring softly.

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