Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 54: Uesugi Sakura Captured

Chapter 54: 54: Uesugi Sakura Captured

"What happened?" Uesugi Sakura could clearly sense the urgency in Hanamaru Hanabi’s voice.

"Papa! Papa said, Uesugi-kun, you’re in the hospital now! Are you okay? Hanabi wants to come and see you."

"In the hospital? Not at all."

"Not in the hospital...? But, but, Papa found out about what happened this morning... Papa seemed really angry with Uesugi-kun..."

Uesugi Sakura turned around, holding the phone, facing the window, and saw the neon lights like fireworks in Tokyo’s night.

"It’s okay, it’s okay, that was uncle tricking Hanabi," Uesugi Sakura comforted with a smile, "Though uncle should know about what happened this morning, he didn’t do anything to me. I wasn’t hurt, nor did I go to the hospital. Rest assured."

"Rea...really? Uesugi-kun, don’t lie to Hanabi..."

"Absolutely not."

"Okay, Hanabi... understands."

"Alright, is there anything else?"

The night breeze cooled the sweat on his forehead. Uesugi Sakura knew that he shouldn’t stay in the wind for too long and turned back to walk inside.

Hanamaru Hanabi’s voice paused for two seconds before coming through from the other end of the phone:

"No....."

"Alright, then I—"

Just as Uesugi Sakura was about to speak, he saw a familiar figure approaching, noticing the bamboo sword clutched in his hand, his expression froze, and he instinctively called out:

"Uncle?"

Hanamaru Hiroki was holding a long bamboo sword, his expression heavy, staring intently at Uesugi Sakura with an extremely unfriendly gaze.

For a moment, even the air seemed to freeze under the aura he exuded.

Could what Hanamaru Hanabi said about going to the hospital be something that happens in the future?

The phone’s other end again asked worriedly, "Uesugi-kun, is that... Papa?"

"It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll be home soon, don’t worry." After saying that, Uesugi Sakura hurriedly hung up the phone, tucked it into his pants, and looked at Hanamaru Hiroki who was slowly approaching.

"Good... good evening." Uesugi Sakura greeted, somewhat stiffly.

"It’s so late, yet Hanabi still called you. She’s really concerned about you." Hanamaru Hiroki’s voice came across deliberately slow.

"Not really."

As Hanamaru Hiroki gradually tightened his grip on the bamboo sword, he said in a deep voice:

"Why didn’t the girl call her father late at night? The message to her father was also telling him not to beat up Uesugi-kun again. When her father said he sent the boy off to the hospital, the girl immediately stopped messaging."

"From the look of it now, the girl must have called that boy to inquire about the situation, right?"

"..."

"Probably... yes."

For some reason, Uesugi Sakura sensed a strong sense of resentment permeating the air.

"..."

The air fell silent for a moment.

"5,290 days ago, the girl was born," Hanamaru Hiroki said solemnly, "From the moment I first saw her in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the affiliated hospital of Tokyo University Medical School, her father, that’s me, was tremendously fond of her."

Uesugi Sakura steadied himself as Hanamaru Hiroki approached him.

"She cried loudly, very loudly, yet the moment her father first held her, she stopped crying, and her little face suddenly broke into a brilliant, beautiful, smile that was captivating."

"Although the dazzling smile was fleeting, her father remembered that moment."

Hanamaru Hiroki frowned and looked directly at Uesugi Sakura standing upright before him.

"It reminded him of fireworks blooming in the summer night, the same fireworks that marked the first time he saw them with her mother."

"Only one, but it lit up the sky."

"In that brief moment, the splendidly blooming fireworks left a deep impression, illuminating everyone who saw them."

"Her fleeting smile left a very deep impression on me."

"So, I named her—Hanamaru Hanabi."

Hanamaru Hiroki looked at Uesugi Sakura in front of him, his voice growing ever deeper:

"Do you understand what I mean by this?"

"I....."

"No, you certainly don’t understand, you brat dared to get handsy on the train this morning, just because you two are dating now doesn’t mean it’s okay; Hanabi is still a 15-year-old child, if you don’t cherish her now, will you cherish her in the future!?"

"Actually," Uesugi Sakura paused, observing Hanamaru Hiroki’s cold demeanor, "it was all a misunderstanding..."

"Enough! There’s no need to explain yourself," Hanamaru Hiroki lifted an eyelid, not intending to give him a chance to continue explaining, his tone stern, "I accept your relationship but that doesn’t mean I will completely hand over my underage daughter to you."

Speaking, Hanamaru Hiroki turned around, gripping the bamboo sword, cast a sidelong glance at him:

"You brat, it seems there’s a need for a proper lesson on the rules of Sword Dao tonight, follow me, and no protective gear!"

After his words fell, accompanied by his heavy footsteps, Hanamaru Hiroki’s figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

"Sigh....."

Uesugi Sakura rarely sighed, and could only follow with steady steps.

...

...

"Ha!!!"

With a loud shout, Uesugi Sakura swung down a vertical strike with both hands gripping the sword.

Bang!

Hanamaru Hiroki casually brushed it aside, his bamboo sword swung with vibrations, and with a quick move, struck Uesugi Sakura’s waist.

Pain, an excruciating pain.

Uesugi Sakura groaned in frustration in his heart, stepping back immediately to reposition himself.

His forehead already pained with cold sweat, each wave of stabbing pain made him want to clutch the wound and fall to the ground.

[Sword Dao Lv5(6/10)]

"Too weak! Your Qi Union shout is too weak!! Like a sheep, without any momentum!!"

Hanamaru Hiroki’s shout was pressuring, the suffocating feeling in his chest was enough to make one’s heart grow fearful.

"Sword Dao! Must overpower others with momentum! Without momentum, how can your soft attacks make the opponent reveal their flaws!! Do you think your opponent is a target!?"

"Continue, go!"

"Yes!"

Uesugi Sakura lifted his arm to grip the sword, holding it high, mustered all his strength, and slashed down fiercely.

"Ha!!!"

With another loud shout, aiming to hit the face.

However, Hanamaru Hiroki reacted swiftly, his left hand lightly gripping, right hand firmly holding, blocking the bamboo sword horizontally in front of him.

Bang!

The sound of bamboo slats colliding was deafening, extremely gripping.

"Not enough!!! Still not enough!!!"

With a shout, Hanamaru Hiroki exerted force with both hands, pushing back Uesugi Sakura’s bamboo sword, then swiftly correcting the hilt.

In the next instant, continuously striking the left and right sides of Uesugi Sakura’s bamboo sword.

Pa pa pa!

With each step and strike, he forced Uesugi Sakura to continually retreat, his hands numb and weak from the impact.

"Hit hands!!"

Upon hearing "hit hands," Uesugi Sakura quickly tightened his grip on the sword hilt, lowering his arms to defend with the bamboo sword’s sword string.

But Hanamaru Hiroki’s movements were especially clean and fast, directly tapping the top of the bamboo sword onto his hand’s back.

Uesugi Sakura furrowed his brows, his grip instinctively loosening from the pain.

"Another mistake!!"

Hanamaru Hiroki shouted again, wielding the sword with both hands, and struck Uesugi Sakura’s bamboo sword directly on the midsection, sending his bamboo sword flying.

[Sword Dao Lv5(8/10)]