Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 63: Can Childhood Friends Not Compare to a Heaven-sent Rival?

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Can Childhood Friends Not Compare to a Heaven-sent Rival?

It’s Wednesday, April 8th.

Uesugi Sakura took a plate of beef rice from the school’s cafeteria ordering counter and sat across from Tsubokawa Takahiro.

"Where did Goto run off to?"

"I guess he’s gone to eat in the courtyard with his chat buddy." Tsubokawa Takahiro put down his scrolling phone and slurped a mouthful of Inaniwa udon noodles.

"Under that banyan tree?" Uesugi Sakura mixed the sauce with the rice from the beef bowl.

"The sacred place for couples at Kamigoe High School, though it has nothing to do with me." Tsubokawa Takahiro said with indifference, unbothered.

"Don’t you want to give it a try?"

"Try what?"

"Dating."

Tsubokawa Takahiro gave Uesugi Sakura a surprised look, pushed his glasses with his middle finger, "This is actually coming from Uesugi’s mouth; have you changed recently?"

"How have I changed?" Uesugi Sakura said calmly, "I just think you should experience it too."

"Have you dated?"

"No." Uesugi Sakura still didn’t want to attract attention.

"Then you—" Tsubokawa Takahiro hesitated to speak, then said, "Forget it, whether you date or not, it’s the same. Unlike you, neither Goto nor I have childhood friends or cute girls to go to school with."

"Why would you say that?" From Tsubokawa’s eyes, Uesugi Sakura saw a hint of something.

"You haven’t noticed?" Tsubokawa Takahiro felt that Uesugi Sakura was somewhat dull.

"Noticed what?"

"How Hanamaru looks at you!"

"During class, she frequently glances at you, and when you turn your head even slightly, she immediately lowers her head, with flushed cheeks, clearly interested in you."

Tsubokawa Takahiro looked at Uesugi Sakura with a skeptical gaze.

"You haven’t noticed? Don’t fool me; I know you often lie."

"No," Uesugi Sakura said naturally, "I’m very honest, please don’t generalize me with Tokyo people; I’m different from them."

"Alright then, I’ll take it that you really didn’t know." Tsubokawa Takahiro glanced at Uesugi Sakura, taking another bite of the remarkably chewy Inaniwa udon noodles.

"I didn’t really know before, but I do now...thanks for the reminder."

After a brief period of focused eating, Tsubokawa Takahiro lifted his head:

"And now that you know, you still have no thoughts? Childhood friends don’t become losers in the real world, right?"

"Loser" is derived from "losing like a stray dog," roughly meaning someone who fails in a competition.

"Why would you think that?"

"Your relationship with Hanamaru is increasingly like this situation—she’s interested in you, but you’re half-hearted, thinking you don’t feel that way about her; she’s too shy to confess, leaving you both stuck in this endless situation."

Tsubokawa Takahiro held his chopsticks with his right hand.

"And then a new girl comes along, and you completely switch sides. Hanamaru can only watch the two of you happily together, silently burying her feelings, getting hurt every day watching your close interactions, not daring to say anything, yet still walking to school with you every day."

"It’s pure torture! Uesugi!"

"Can you bear to let such a cute girl like Hanamaru be heartbroken over you every day? Can you really abandon the childhood friend that walks to school with you so coldly?"

Uesugi Sakura continued eating his beef rice while listening to Tsubokawa Takahiro’s passionate performance.

"Do you think the story will unfold as you imagine?"

Tsubokawa Takahiro pushed up his glasses again, "Because you’re the protagonist, Uesugi! Show some manliness! Face your feelings head-on!"

"So? What are you really trying to say?"

"What I’m saying is, quickly seize the opportunity to confess to Hanamaru! Don’t actually wait until a new girl arrives; the years of feelings between you two will be all for nothing."

As he spoke, Tsubokawa Takahiro nodded to himself.

"This is the experience I’ve gained from many years of playing dating sims, trust me, you can’t go wrong."

"..."

Uesugi Sakura paused for a second, then said, "Is the dating sim you mentioned fun? I hear you mention it all the time."

After listening to his chatter for so long, Uesugi Sakura only knew that a dating sim was a kind of beautiful girl game.

And he didn’t understand why Tsubokawa Takahiro esteemed such a game so much.

"Oh~you want to try it?" Tsubokawa Takahiro gave him a mischievous smile.

Uesugi Sakura felt that he had ulterior motives and continued eating his meal:

"Never mind."

...

After school in the afternoon, Uesugi Sakura walked on the field on the way to the Kyudo Club, with the baseball team members as energetic as ever, as he heard they were determined to participate in the Koshien tournament.

It’s a tradition for Kamigoe High School’s baseball team to burn with youthful passion.

Uesugi Sakura felt that participating in both Sword Dao and Kyudo national competitions should not make him any less significant than them.

Continuing to walk under the bright blue Tokyo sky, Uesugi Sakura recalled what Tsubokawa had said at noon.

That afternoon, he specifically observed Hanamaru Hanabi’s small gestures during class, which were exactly as Tsubokawa described.

When she looked at him, she was either shy or embarrassed.

When their eyes met, she hurriedly looked down, taking unnecessary notes from the blackboard.

Watching her blush, Uesugi Sakura really wanted to pinch her cheeks again.

But in recent days, Hanabi often avoided his outstretched hand, refusing shyly. He wondered if it was because of those rings.

Uesugi Sakura lifted his left hand, raising it to the sky, looking at the ringless ring finger.

"Senpai!"

Upon hearing the voice, Uesugi Sakura lowered his hand, saying to the girl who suddenly appeared beside him, "Chitose, it’d be better if you stopped startling people like that."

Chitose Mai smiled, removing the earphones from her ears, still chewing her ever-present gum.

She didn’t answer Uesugi Sakura’s words but instead curiously asked him:

"What was senpai looking at just now? There’s nothing in the sky. That gesture with the left hand, were you looking at your ring finger?"

"Are you getting married?!"

Chitose Mai showed a face of astonishment, circled around Uesugi Sakura, finding nothing peculiar, then leaned closer to sniff at his side.

She suddenly furrowed her brows, stepped back repeatedly, displaying an exaggerated expression of distaste:

"Ew~"

Uesugi Sakura knew she was exaggerating; after all, this junior had quite the lively character, yet he was still curious about what she might have smelled, as he himself had no scent.

"What did you smell?"

Chitose Mai shook her head, looked at Uesugi Sakura again with a disdainful gaze:

"The stench of love."

"..."

Uesugi Sakura ignored her and continued walking towards the Kyudo Club.

"Senpai, are you in a relationship?" Chitose Mai followed him, full of curiosity.

"What do you think?"

Uesugi Sakura suddenly realized that he had been asking questions back a lot today.

"I think you are," Chitose Mai nodded vehemently, "The aura of romance around you is about to knock me out, it’s so strong!"

Uesugi Sakura frowned: "Are you talking about your perfume scent?"

"Haha~"

Chitose Mai laughed openly, "I didn’t expect to be found out by senpai."

"It would be strange not to notice."