Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 84: Clumsy Hanabi is Improving

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Clumsy Hanabi is Improving

The curtains were drawn.

The outdoor light could only fall above them.

The girl’s room was tidy, to the point of feeling deliberately cleaned up.

Retracting her gaze from the bookshelf filled with art albums, the lonely girl sat quietly on the bed.

A loose T-shirt wrapped around her petite frame.

Beneath her peach-colored shorts, her plump thighs were tightly pressed together, with slender calves and fleshy thighs fitting against each other, and her small feet spread to the sides. Her sitting posture was quite adorable.

Her pure white skin exposed to the air was unshielded, completely visible.

Hanamaru Hanabi hugged a life-sized shark plushie, and as the door creaked open, she lifted her head to look at him.

After a fleeting glance, she lowered her head again, fingers clasping the fish’s gills, and said softly, "I’m sorry... Sakura-kun... Hanabi doesn’t want to go out today..."

She was referring to Uesugi Sakura’s invitation to her last night.

"It’s okay."

Uesugi Sakura felt she resembled a wounded child, who neither fussed nor complained but silently locked away her bad moods.

Such a demeanor was quite heart-wrenching.

He sat beside her, noticing her curled-in little jade-white feet, and pulled a pure white letter from his pocket, holding it out in front of her.

"Here, please accept this."

The white letter occupied her entire view.

"Sakura... Sakura-kun?" Hanamaru Hanabi looked up at him, slightly relaxing her grip on the plushie.

Her small hand accepted the paper he handed over.

"I’m sorry."

The air remained silent for a long while.

The light in Hanamaru Hanabi’s eyes swirled, her earlier disappointment had not faded: "Sakura-kun... why are you apologizing?"

"Because... I let you down." Uesugi Sakura said, filled with guilt.

He seemed like a guy apologizing to his girlfriend.

"Sakura-kun..."

Hanamaru Hanabi stared blankly at him, her small hand clinging tightly to the white letter, her nails leaving marks on the cardboard.

The words "let down" further hurt her already fragile psyche.

Now Sakura-kun... hates Hanabi too...

A stabbing pain echoed in her heart.

Hanabi... is so useless.....

She lowered her head again, her trembling violet eyes welling up with moisture amidst a barely audible whimper.

Uesugi Sakura noticed that a few droplets had suddenly appeared on the pristine letter, moistening it.

Why was she crying?

Before he could speak, Hanamaru Hanabi’s tearful voice, filled with fear, choked up:

"What did Hanabi... do wrong... Sakura-kun... why, why does Sakura-kun not want Hanabi anymore..."

"?"

Uesugi Sakura’s 8-point Intelligence realized something was off.

"Every day, Hanabi makes lunch for Sakura-kun, accompanies Sakura-kun, and tries harder every day, as long as Sakura-kun tells Hanabi, what did she do wrong..."

Her head was buried deep, and large teardrops fell rapidly, tracing tear-streaks down her face, distressed and agitated.

"So... please, Sakura-kun... okay?"

Uesugi Sakura was stunned; wasn’t he apologizing, seeking her forgiveness?

"Don’t cry, that’s not, that’s not what I meant."

He quickly said, hastily preventing the clichéd scene from unfolding, "The letter, take a look at the letter."

"The letter..."

The sobbing Hanamaru Hanabi became somewhat clearer, gently wiping her tears from the corners of her eyes, and opened the moist letter.

The letter’s title was "Letter of Apology."

She raised her eyes, grasping the letter with her small hands, her voice weak and still choked: "...Sakura-kun?"

"Please read on."

The letter contained no ornate words, just page after page filled with apologies.

Although it was a dream, that strange dream reflected his true feelings.

A simple letter of apology, consisting only of plain declarative sentences.

In the end, he pleaded for her forgiveness, hoping she would smile more at him like before.

This was a two-thousand-word self-reflection that Uesugi Sakura had racked his brain for all night.

"Sakura-kun... wasn’t going to abandon Hanabi?"

The girl still wore that oversized T-shirt, her collarbones prominent, though she had put on a snug undergarment inside, covering what was once barely visible with a smooth silk fabric.

Uesugi Sakura dared not sneak another glance at her, "Hanabi... doesn’t hate me?"

Hanamaru Hanabi’s eyes brimming with tears looked at him, speaking clearly: "Why would Hanabi hate Sakura-kun?"

Uesugi Sakura pointed at the letter: "Because I touched you secretly, and yesterday you said you cared a lot, and seemed unhappy, not paying much attention to me."

Hanamaru Hanabi looked down at her chest, her face flushed as if with a fever, softly shaking her head:

"That’s not what Hanabi is concerned about..."

"You don’t hate?" Uesugi Sakura meant himself.

"Sakura-kun..."

Hanamaru Hanabi hesitated for a while, biting her lip lightly, finally nodding apprehensively, "Mm..."

She was referring to the matter of her tummy being touched secretly.

"..."

So it was a misunderstanding all along; he even went around asking for ways to apologize.

Uesugi Sakura moved closer, holding her small hand, captivated by the intoxicating scent of the young girl:

"Then why were you unhappy?"

The letter was placed aside, its initial importance now irrelevant.

Hanamaru Hanabi didn’t resist his closeness, but upon hearing his question, she lowered her head: "Hanabi... said really bad things to Dad..."

"How could you have said something to make Uncle angry?"

Uesugi Sakura’s expression was surprised, "Uncle would never get angry with you."

"Dad wasn’t angry; it was Hanabi who said bad things and made Dad sad."

Hanamaru Hanabi’s delicate face still held lingering tears.

"I want to apologize..."

Uesugi Sakura felt the guilt of her wanting to apologize in his palm, much stronger than his own.

"But Dad’s been busy working all night, no time to come home, no chance to apologize."

"Dad has always been very, very good to Hanabi, but because of a dream, Hanabi made Dad sad."

Hanamaru Hanabi’s frail, heart-wrenching appearance prompted Uesugi Sakura to embrace her soft waist unconsciously, but he didn’t hold too close.

The perfect distance, naturally unnoticed, as she continued on her own: "Until I apologize to Dad, Hanabi can’t go out with Sakura-kun."

The tender girl’s body felt soft and sweet to the touch.

Judging by Hanamaru Hiroki’s attitude towards her, an apology wasn’t that difficult.

He wanted to make her a little happier.

"Then how about we go out together to find Uncle?"

Hanamaru Hanabi seemed a bit tempted: "But Dad’s at work, we shouldn’t bother him."

"Uncle is worried it’s dangerous if you go out alone. He’s busy working, but he should have a break time at noon."

Uesugi Sakura took out his phone, waved it in front of her, and with a smile, said:

"How about I ask for you, Hanabi?"