Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 88 Is this, a date?

Chapter 88: Chapter 88 Is this, a date?

Inhaling her sweet fragrance, no matter how much time passes, the flutter in my heart blooms passionately like cherry blossoms in spring on my chest.

"Hanabi."

Hearing his voice, Hanamaru Hanabi, with her eyes closed, finally realized the distance between them.

So close.

Her waist was still being tickled, making her squirm.

She hastily escaped from his embrace, pulling her small hands between her legs, cheeks flushed, heart racing, while she glanced around nervously to see if anyone was watching her.

Seems like... no one...

"Sakura..." the girl’s soft voice called his name.

"Do you think this counts as a date?" Uesugi Sakura smiled, thinking her reaction was just right.

He didn’t move forward to hug her again, even though the feel of her slender waist in his arms would send waves of delight through his heart.

"Hanabi... I-I don’t know..." Hanamaru Hanabi’s cheeks were burning, her mind too fuzzy to answer the question properly.

"Are you hungry?" Seeing she seemed overwhelmed, Uesugi Sakura quickly changed the subject.

"A little..."

"What do you feel like eating?"

Hanamaru Hanabi hesitated a little, knowing he didn’t really enjoy spicy food.

"Unagi (grilled eel) over rice."

"Not in the mood for anything spicy?" Uesugi Sakura was a bit surprised.

"Not today..."

Uesugi Sakura continued gazing at her bashfully lowered head, feeling like her entire being was a treasure glistening brightly, his gaze deeply captivated, unable to move away.

He stood up.

"Let’s go, I know a nice place for unagi."

Hanamaru Hanabi stole a glance at the standing Uesugi Sakura and instead of replying directly, stretched out her small hand to grab the hem of his shirt.

"What’s up?"

"...Hanabi... can’t stand up..." Hanabi Hanabi replied softly and awkwardly.

The sunlight filtering through the leaves dappled across her cheeks, swaying gently with the breeze.

He understood the reason.

"Was it too comforting?"

Uesugi Sakura was referring to "leaning in his arms."

Hanamaru Hanabi paused for a moment and whispered, "Sakura... you made me feel ticklish just now..."

He had touched her waist, but there was nothing inappropriate in his movement.

Uesugi Sakura sat back down, moving closer to her soft form, smiling as he asked, "Should I carry you?"

Carry... carry... carry... carry...

Hanamaru Hanabi kept repeating the word he said in her mind, and after a moment of silence, she shook her head and said, "No... don’t carry."

Why,

Why is she so adorable whether she agrees or refuses?

Resisting the impulse to hold her in public, Uesugi Sakura calmed himself, saying:

"Okay, I’ll keep Hanabi company while you rest for a bit, and then we’ll go for unagi."

"Alright." Hanamaru Hanabi softly agreed.

——————

A grilled eel restaurant, considered Uesugi Sakura’s second location for his first date.

His first, had just been devoted to Shinjuku Central Park.

Kabayaki refers to foods grilled with a special sauce, mainly soy with sweet flavors as a complement.

On the grill, under the chef’s skillful hands, the delicious eel gradually took shape.

The rich sauce swirled in the boneless, crispy fragrant body, as the succulent eel was grilled to a golden hue, with its dripping juices sizzling on the red-hot charcoal, releasing an exquisite aroma that permeated the air.

Just a single whiff, and the mouth would involuntarily fall in love with this flavor.

Hanamaru Hanabi stared blankly at the eel enveloped in fragrance, sitting obediently on the round stool, waiting.

The chef, wearing a white cloth on his head, loved seeing such an expression because it was a huge honor for his little shop.

Moreover, coming from such a pretty and quiet girl.

He wanted to show off his well-honed grilled eel skills even more.

The surface was slightly charred, with hot oil oozing out, while the sauce applied repeatedly made sizzling sounds.

The fragrant sauce confirmed for Uesugi Sakura that this was indeed the foundation of this eel shop’s reputation.

And the craftsmanship of the chef was skillfully controlled, evident from his smooth moves.

At the precise moment when the grilled eel emitted the right scent of char, he flipped up the spatula, placing the golden eel onto the fluffy soft white rice.

The rich sauce, slowly flowed between the tender eel slices.

The white rice was glazed with a stunning color.

At this moment, the sheen of the eel, the glaze of the sauce, and the heap of rice complemented each other in the black rectangular lacquerware.

Two "Unaju" bowls layered with "eel-rice-eel" appeared in front of them.

Hanamaru Hanabi’s little eyes reflected the luxurious unagi bowl.

"Thank you for waiting, please enjoy."

The chef personally handed over the carefully crafted signature unagi bowls to the couple, feeling overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment to have such adorable customers anticipate his food.

After handing over Uesugi Sakura’s portion, Hanamaru Hanabi finally muttered the delayed words, "Th-thank you."

The chef grinned quietly, not disturbing the young couple further, pulled down the curtain, and returned to supervising his newly recruited apprentice.

"Hanabi?"

Her dazed and silly look made Uesugi Sakura realize she was starving.

"Hanabi?" He called again.

"Hanabi... wants to eat..."

Hanamaru Hanabi only murmured to herself, and after shaking her head like a cat trying to dry itself, she turned to look into his vibrant violet eyes, appearing especially lively:

"Hanabi... can I eat first?"

"Why can’t you eat first?" Uesugi Sakura smiled and asked, then said, "Go ahead and eat if you want to, Hanabi, you don’t have to worry about anything in front of me."

"Okay." She answered softly.

Then, under Uesugi Sakura’s constant watchful gaze, she picked up the dark chopsticks in front of her, carefully poked into the soft eel, and slowly lifted a bite-sized piece of eel-covered rice.

As the sweet aroma of the sauce filled her nose, she placed it into her small mouth.

The mild sweetness and spiciness of the sauce complemented the texture of the fish, with the richness of the fat layer bringing an overwhelming sense of happiness in the mouth.

With that bite, her little eyes shone with a glittering luster.

The gleaming eel paired with the mildly sweet and spicy sauce, along with the unpretentious white rice, became a masterpiece of culinary art in the mouth.

"Is it delicious?" Uesugi Sakura couldn’t help but ask with a smile.

"Delicious~~~"

So delicious that her whole head was floating.

"As long as it’s delicious." Uesugi Sakura nodded.

Of course, it’s delicious, it cost a full 10,000 yen!

How could it not be!

If it weren’t delicious, there would be no need for such long lines and high costs.

Should I be eating dirt next week, or should I drop by Hanamaru’s place for a meal?

Uesugi Sakura even began thinking about the future life.

In the past, he’d been lazy and didn’t work part-time, so his spending money came from accumulated allowances.

Not much, really not much.

Far from affording to spend 10,000 yen on a single meal.

But being able to witness little Hanabi’s happiness and joy, even with his wallet thinning out, it was all worth it.

Thinking this, Uesugi Sakura nodded and took a bite of the unagi bowl.

The moment it touched his mouth, the flavor erupting within could only be described as incredibly delicious.

The unique honeyed sauce melted into the fluffy and tender eel, the sticky rice excellently neutralized the sweet and spicy flavor, making it mouth-watering while having to admire the fact that the 10,000 yen was indeed well worth it.

He couldn’t help but mumble, "I wonder if the unagi would still be worth 10,000 yen if not made by the chef?"