Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 47: The Extremely Distant School Route

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: The Extremely Distant School Route

"What silly things are you saying,"

Uesugi Sakura smiled and reached out, using his index finger to scratch her nose:

"After all these years, Hanabi, you’re still as clumsy as you were when you were a kid, like a child who hasn’t grown up."

"Uesugi-kun..."

"Alright, the train is here, we should get on. If we miss this one, we’ll be late."

"Hmph."

...

Shoulder to shoulder.

The train on a rainy day was packed with people, backed by countless men in suits exuding the scent of mothballs. Uesugi Sakura even felt the tough days ahead as a corporate drone.

Announcement: "Thank you for riding this train. This is the local train heading towards West Ship Bridge. The next stop is Kagurazaka, the next stop is Kagurazaka."

Uesugi Sakura held onto the handle with his right hand, extended his left hand beside Hanamaru Hanabi’s face, shielding her in the corner to prevent others from bumping into her.

There were just too many people on the train.

As the train started, the crowd tilted backward.

Uesugi Sakura was pressed to tiptoe, his chest tight, with his left hand bracing against the wall exerting force.

But even so, he was still tightly pressed against Hanamaru Hanabi’s slender body.

"U... Uesugi-kun..."

Hanamaru Hanabi was forced to turn her head, her cheek pressed against his chest, a small hand anxiously moving upward in the narrow space between them, but she couldn’t manage to squeeze up.

As the train continued, the sense of crowding quickly dissipated, Uesugi Sakura caught his breath, while apologetic voices came from the other side.

Clearly, a man had inadvertently bumped into someone in just now’s crowd.

"Are you okay?"

"I’m... I’m fine..."

Hanamaru Hanabi looked up at Uesugi Sakura’s eyes, her face rosy and cute, their gazes met without any discomfort.

"Uesugi-kun... are you okay too?"

"Yeah, I’m fine."

"That’s... that’s good then..."

At this moment, Hanamaru Hanabi felt a bit anxious.

Just now... just now it seemed like she was pressed quite tightly against Uesugi-kun...

So tight that she could hear his heartbeat just now.

Recalling that warmth from just now, Hanamaru Hanabi’s face instantly blushed with shame.

It was a feeling of being tightly protected in a crowded train...

The more she recollected, the more her heart raced.

Looking up at that familiar face, she recalled the question Uesugi Sakura mentioned earlier on the road.

Between couples, what do they do?

She never experienced it and didn’t know these things.

Everything she knew about this was learned from TV and anime.

But,

It seems... it seems like this

The male lead would back the female lead against the wall, blocking her with his right hand, and steadily move closer.

Then, by her ear...

Hanamaru Hanabi looked at Uesugi Sakura in front of her, dared not continue the thought, wanting to cover her face tightly with both hands.

She was indeed a bit afraid that Uesugi Sakura would lean in and blow by her ear.

But curiosity, with a tiny bit of expectation, drove her to let her imagination run wild.

’In the future... my relationship with Uesugi-kun, will it be like what is said on TV...’

Thinking of those scenes unsuitable for children later, she quickly buried her head in her scarf, faster than an ostrich in the desert.

The pair of small hands holding the shoulder bag also fidgeted restlessly in front of her skirt.

’In the future... it must be like that...’

By then, by then what should I... should I do...

Refuse?

It seems... not possible.

Accept?

It seems also not...

Then... then what to... what to do...

The more Hanamaru Hanabi thought, the more tangled she became, her heart started beating even faster, thumping wildly.

The hot blood seemed to be pumped directly from her wildly beating heart into her brain, making it hot and feverish.

Even Uesugi Sakura in front of her could hear the sound of her heart beating fiercely.

He looked at her flushed, feverish cheeks, leaned in a bit, and called out questioningly:

"Hanabi?"

Hanamaru Hanabi, caught in a daze, was visibly startled and shivered at his call, trembling and limp.

She weakly raised her head, looking at his handsome face, reminded of the scenes she had imagined before.

Hanamaru Hanabi’s body involuntarily shrank back, much like a little white rabbit trembling before a big bad wolf.

?

"What’s wrong?" Uesugi Sakura leaned in a bit more.

Close... closer and closer.....

Hanamaru Hanabi’s expression suddenly turned horrified looking at Uesugi Sakura, shaking her head repeatedly, pupils trembling and shaking with fear, her cherry lips murmured subconsciously:

"No... don’t..."

The voice of extreme fear was mixed with a faint sense of a little girl’s helplessness.

Yet her pitiable fearful look left Uesugi Sakura somewhat baffled.

No?

Had I bullied her just now?

Not at all.

Then why did it feel like being bullied by a villain?

He quickly looked around, no one was making any moves, and no one noticed the two of them in the corner, all busy with their own phones.

Uesugi Sakura sighed in relief.

Hanabi looked way too misleading like this. If seen with their current interaction, they’d probably be mistaken as a train pervert.

Nowadays in Japan, they’re cracking down hard on "train molestation," with a conviction rate as high as 99% if reported. Whether or not you’ve done it, your odds of exoneration are slim, at least detained for 7 days at the police until a settlement.

Uesugi Sakura could already see the anti-molestation signs on the train.

Though Hanamaru Hanabi wouldn’t report him as a pervert or anything, being seen by the staff on the surveillance and then reported to the police, you couldn’t avoid being questioned.

Bothersome indeed.

"Hanabi, are you really okay?"

"I’m... I’m fine... Uesugi-kun..."

Despite her words, Hanamaru Hanabi’s face, with its pitiful expression and actions, remained unchanged, even deepened, much like a high school girl being bullied by a sleazy uncle.

"..."

Uesugi Sakura was speechless. Comforting her in such a situation wasn’t much use. He couldn’t move away either, so he tried shifting his position among the crowd to completely shield her, ensuring no one could see her frightened look.

...

At the station, after getting off the train, they finally escaped the crowded stream of people.

Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi walked to the platform, taking a breath of fresh rainy air.

After shaking off the oppressive crowd, he glanced at his watch.

8:02:23

Still plenty of time to get to school.

Uesugi Sakura opened the transparent umbrella, inviting Hanamaru Hanabi beside him:

"Let’s go."

"Okay." Hanamaru Hanabi still hadn’t shaken off the previous atmosphere, with scenes from dramas and anime playing in her mind.

Her face blushes with an adorable and cute redness.

"Excuse me, please move aside."

A police officer in uniform suddenly pushed through the crowd and blocked in front of Uesugi Sakura immediately.

Both Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi were stunned simultaneously.

The officer then pulled out a small booklet from his pocket and flashed it towards Uesugi Sakura:

"I’m sorry sir, could you please cooperate? We just received a report saying you harassed a female passenger on the train."

Really? It actually happened?

Looking at the officer’s badge, despite having a thousand complaints internally, Uesugi Sakura still replied earnestly:

"I apologize, Officer Suzuki, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just an ordinary high school student and haven’t done anything to harass women on the train."

Hanamaru Hanabi also snapped back from her fantasy, weakly explaining on Uesugi Sakura’s behalf: "Could it be... a misunderstanding?"

Suzuki Teppei glanced at Hanamaru Hanabi standing beside Uesugi Sakura.

Based on their uniforms and ages, they were indeed high school students, from the nearby Kanzaki Togoshi Private School.

Did not seem to be lying.

The male had a neat silhouette and handsome face, the girl was delicate and slim, also very cutely pretty.

And they seemed to know each other.

Compared to the report of "a young man harassing a female high school student," they looked more like a pair of high school sweethearts.

Thinking of this, Suzuki Teppei lowered his head slightly and said:

"I very much apologize and ask for your understanding, though I’m inclined to believe you, rules are rules. When we officers receive a report, we have to follow the procedure.

"I would request that both of you accompany me to the station to make a detailed record. We will explain the circumstances to your school, so please don’t worry."

"..."

Seems like they’ll be late today.

Uesugi Sakura just wanted to know which bastard was bored enough to report the two of them.

Were they bothered by a high school couple taking the same train?

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