Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 326 - 250: Daily Warmth

By evening, the morning clouds had descended into a drizzle, casting a chilly, desolate veil over Tokyo.

With a guitar in hand, Uesugi Sakura glanced outside the window, sensing the icy touch of the rain washing over everything.

"I’ve practiced alone all afternoon, how about trying to play together?"

"Rika, I don’t think I can do it at all~" Kitagawa Sakisa pinched the bright violin made of spruce wood with her left hand, standing in front of the open instrument case.

The black dress covered the knees of her long socks, with two dark red bows on the hem.

"Didn’t you say there was no problem when you first arrived?"

"That was then, and now is now. The sheet music is really hard."

Although Kyujuu Rika had learned piano since elementary school, she had also studied some violin, understanding that Sakisa’s intonation during practice was quite good.

She lifted her hands off the piano keys, sighing as she said:

"I think you just want to slack off."

Kitagawa Sakisa, unrepentant despite being caught, continued, "Hehe, practicing all afternoon, how could we not take a break, right, Hanabi-chan?"

Hanamaru Hanabi, who was memorizing lyrics, lifted her head in confusion: "What’s up?"

Kitagawa Sakisa casually placed her violin and bow on the instrument case, then ran over with small steps and hugged her: "I say, Hanabi-chan has worked so hard, you can take a break now."

"It’s just memorizing lyrics... It’s not that tiring..."

"Everyone must be tired. If you don’t believe me, ask Uesugi."

Uesugi Sakura said, "I’m all for a break."

"What about Rie?" She then looked towards Ayaka Rie behind the drum set.

"I don’t mind a break, but my drumming still has issues, so I’d like to practice a bit more."

"Didn’t it sound great when you played just now?"

Ayaka Rie shook her head, "You guys think it was good because I deliberately made the accents stand out. My biggest problem is still with rhythm... For a percussionist, rhythm is always paramount."

In her final year of high school, she had specifically learned the drums to perform with Hanabi and the others during the school festival.

Kitagawa Sakisa remarked, "I somehow feel like you’ve changed a lot, Rie."

Ayaka Rie: "Really?"

Kyujuu Rika interjected, "Alright, let’s take a break. I’ll go make some food for you guys."

"I—"

"Hanabi, you’re injured, don’t push yourself. I’ll do it alone."

With that, Kyujuu Rika turned around and headed towards the door, her shimmering purple short skirt gently swaying.

Uesugi Sakura walked to the large window, seeing the thin mist of rain dance over the garden, blurring the eyes, like a life form moving amidst the drizzle.

Standing there and gazing at the outline of Skytree Tower gave a feeling of having all of Tokyo underfoot.

Not long after, Kyujuu Rika came out with fruits and custom milk coffee as a drink.

With one sip, Uesugi Sakura could tell it wasn’t her craftsmanship.

This rich and smooth flavor couldn’t be crafted without decades of coffee expertise.

As they ate and drank, the conversation flowed to interests in clothing and fashion; they talked about shower gels, perfumes, skirts, and outfit combinations...

Uesugi Sakura sat on the sidelines, not interjecting.

Later, everyone familiarized themselves with their sheet music again, with a bit of rehearsal.

As dinner approached, not wishing to further intrude on the Kyujuu Family, they bid each other farewell and Tsusei, the driver, drove them back to their respective apartments near the school.

Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi returned home, turned on the hot water, filled the bathtub, and prepared to bathe together.

"You won’t refuse this time, right?"

"N-no..." Though shy, Hanamaru Hanabi agreed.

After all, it wasn’t their first time bathing together...

Since her foot was still bandaged and couldn’t be immersed in water, Uesugi Sakura let her lie against him, with her foot raised high on the rim of the bathtub.

Under the soft, warm light, the girl’s raised legs appeared graceful and slender, faintly shimmering.

Uesugi Sakura restrained himself from gazing too intently, yet he couldn’t help but sneak a question:

"Do you... need any help?"

"No..." Hanamaru Hanabi blushingly declined.

The gentle rain outside mingled with the sound of water droplets in the bathroom, sometimes near, sometimes far.

...

The next morning, after the rain, a sunny day arrived.

Uesugi Sakura, a student of Tokyo University, skipped class once again.

Not that he intended to, but with the May Festival approaching, most of the time was left for student use.

There were no classes even if he went to school.

He was lounging in bed, unaware that a little fellow had clambered onto his face, her little feet stomping on his chest.

"Sister~ Sister~ Sister~"

In his slumber, Uesugi Sakura suddenly felt a sharp tug on his face and a weight on his chest.

This pain nudged him awake from the dream where mischievous Hanabi was tormenting him.

"Sister~" Hanamaru Hanami, seeing him awake, pressed her full weight onto his chest.

"It’s Brother."

Uesugi Sakura opened his eyes to find a pair of splendid purple eyes looking at him, glowing with curiosity and joy.

He picked up the little Hanamaru Hanami from his chest and sat up in bed.

Mrs. Hanamaru stood at the door, smiling at him, "No school today? Sleeping in this late."

Uesugi Sakura lifted his little sister-in-law high, out of her reach—truth be told, a one-year-old’s strength was quite impressive.

The little sister-in-law was sent by his mother-in-law to wake him up.

How annoying, interrupting his dream. In the dream, Hanabi was clearly forcing himself...

Uesugi Sakura looked to the pillow beside him, noticing that Hanabi was absent.

Waking up earlier than him, how unusual.

"Tokyo University doesn’t have classes these days, it’s quite relaxing."

"I heard from Hanabi that you’re going to perform at the festival; can your mom and I come?"

"Yes, the campus is open during the May Festival."

Or rather, Tokyo University is open all-day; he often saw kids playing and locals walking their dogs in the afternoons.

Supporting his little sister-in-law’s upper body, Uesugi Sakura sensed her warmth through a layer of clothing; children’s bodies tended to be warmer.

She also carried a milky scent.

Chirping she called "Sister... kiss..."

Mrs. Hanamaru, smiling kindly, said, "For some reason, Hanami always calls you Sister."

Casually listening to his mother-in-law, Uesugi Sakura let his guard down, and his little sister-in-law seized the opportunity, pulling at his face.

Her tiny hand tugged rather painfully.

"Maybe the word ’brother’ isn’t part of her vocabulary yet."

Mrs. Hanamaru chuckled, "Hanami can say it; perhaps you’re just too handsome, Uesugi?"

"How does being handsome relate to being called sister?"

"It’s not directly related, but because of Hanabi’s influence, you both belong to the realm of attractiveness. For Hanami, calling you Sister means she thinks you’re good-looking."

Uesugi Sakura held the little sister-in-law’s hand, her hand was tiny and soft, and it felt endearingly childlike.

Her gentle, childlike voice combined with those pure, innocent purple eyes, especially cute.

Seeing his cute yet mischievous little sister-in-law, Uesugi Sakura’s thoughts drifted into the future, his speech half-dazed:

"Mother-in-law, what’s it like to raise a child?"

Mrs. Hanamaru: "Thinking about having children already?"

"Not sure..." Uesugi Sakura brought Hanamaru Hanami back in front of him, "But... it feels homely."

"That feeling is called warmth," Mrs. Hanamaru said, "Since long ago, I’ve seen that you’ve longed for a simple life. What’s your perception of being with Hanabi all these years?"

"Warm... and quiet, she never burdens me, tries her best in everything, and always looks out for me."

Seeing his reminiscent expression, Mrs. Hanamaru smiled, "Little Sakura, what I like most about you is you never take Hanabi’s efforts for granted.

"Between you, family ties surpass love, and after more than ten years, I believe the sense of novelty from Hanabi must be rare."

Uesugi Sakura: "I understand, but exactly because of this... I don’t want her to leave my side."

Mrs. Hanamaru: "It might sound selfish, but your selfishness aligns with her hopes; at least your actions show you care for her deeply."

"In a few months, you two will be getting married."

Marriage...

Uesugi Sakura tugged on Hanamaru Hanami’s little tail on her clothes; despite her effort, she couldn’t move an inch.

No matter what, in this life... meeting her is already the happiest thing.

...

Mrs. Hanamaru and Mrs. Uesugi came together to see the new house the two have moved into.

Uesugi Shin and Hanamaru Hanami, these two weaning little ones, accompanied them.

Breakfast was prepared with the help of Mrs. Uesugi, while Hanamaru Hanabi, who got up early, fed Uesugi Shin in the living room.

Seeing her when he emerged from the bedroom, Uesugi Sakura felt an inexplicable maternal vibe.

No, little Hanabi is clearly only 17 years old.

Having children would undoubtedly be a heavy burden for Hanabi, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted kids himself.

Nurturing a baby for ten months seemed like an incredibly arduous task.

In other words, he couldn’t bear to let her have children, worried it’d exhaust her.

While his mother and Mrs. Hanamaru prepared breakfast in the kitchen, Uesugi Sakura took his guitar and sat beside Hanamaru Hanabi.

His sister nursed in her arms quite comfortably.

"Tired? Should I play you a song?"

Hanamaru Hanabi sensed something odd about his demeanor, "Sakura-kun... what’s wrong?"

Uesugi Sakura set the guitar down and said to her, "Haven’t you felt time fly by... we’re... about to get married..."

"Mm..."

"Do you want us to have a baby together?"

Hanamaru Hanabi dared not meet his gaze, bashfully replying, "Things like this... depends on Sakura-kun..."

"There’s one more thing; when we get married, I don’t want you to change your last name."

"But... without changing my last name, we can’t get married..."

In Japan, except for foreigners and imperial family members, ordinary couples must share the same last name.

"I can take your last name."

"If Sakura-kun does that... then there’s no meaning in Hanabi not changing hers."

Uesugi Sakura wished to treat her better, and her name in this world held particular significance, he didn’t want it to vanish after marriage.

Hanamaru Hanabi looked at him, "Sakura-kun’s name holds the same importance to Hanabi."

"Breakfast is ready." Mrs. Hanamaru called from the kitchen, bringing breakfast to the two on the couch.

Their breakfast was simple, strained due to the limited ingredients at home; it was just miso soup and eggs.

"What were you two chatting about just now?"

"The topic of changing last names."

"Changing last names, huh," Mrs. Hanamaru’s gaze flitted over their faces, "Do you know what I used to be called?"

Little Hanabi probably knew, but Uesugi Sakura didn’t.

"Hagai Meiko," Mrs. Hanamaru said, "Back then, Dad was considering taking my last name, but his father disagreed."

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