Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 769 - 460: Daytime Hot Spring Inn_2

Something’s not right.

Uesugi Sakura looked at her back, thinking she should have wanted to watch him change clothes, so why refuse so easily?

Or is it just playing hard to get?

No, I can’t fall into her trap.

In this battle, I must make her yield.

Though faced with a series of events, Uesugi Sakura felt his passion was already hard to restrain.

"Ahem..."

After changing clothes, Uesugi Sakura tied a towel around his waist and, carrying a bath tray, prepared to head towards the onsen.

Along the way, he noticed some small snacks thoughtfully stacked by the shopkeeper on a little table by the cabinet and took them along.

Hanamaru Hanabi was already soaking in the hot spring. As Uesugi Sakura approached, he could see her back, her bare shoulders, her fair neck, and that conspicuous bun hairstyle.

Uesugi Sakura tested the water temperature with his hand and found it just right, not too hot, just comfortable enough for soaking, so he stepped in.

In an instant.

"Ah~"

The pleasant warmth enveloped his entire body, utterly comfortable.

Once quieted down, he looked across at Hanamaru Hanabi, who was stroking her shoulder with one hand under the sunlight.

Uesugi Sakura’s gaze was drawn to her.

Side on, her cheeks were slightly flushed with tiny droplets of water reflecting the golden light of the sun, appearing dreamy amidst the faint mists of the hot spring, making her cheeks glow charmingly rosy.

Once Uesugi Sakura entered the onsen, she sensed the waves of the water, turned her head slightly, lifting her snow-white shoulder, her amethyst eyes glancing toward Uesugi Sakura at an angle, smiling as she said:

"Sakura-kun, come help Hanabi wash her back."

Wash her back?

A request from the wife, how could he refuse?

Uesugi Sakura slowly approached her, his hands reaching out, his gaze falling on her snow-white nape, adorned with moist beads, a faint pink hue.

The girl’s shoulders, unlike his own, were not hard; they were soft and delicate. With a slight pinch, he could feel her shoulder subtly shift with the pressure of his palm, as if the hand on that shoulder might truly experience the delicate helplessness of her frame.

If he lingered too long, it felt like even his own bones would soften with hers.

"Want a massage?" Uesugi Sakura tilted his head and asked her.

"Mm... of course." Hanamaru Hanabi raised her chin slightly, eyes closing slowly, the sunlight over her face making her seem as if she was basking in a morning bath of refreshment.

Uesugi Sakura, behind her, began to knead with his hands.

The massage movements weren’t vigorous, yet it felt as if he was teasing her shyness, bringing a soft blush to her cheeks.

Young Hanabi’s blushing seemed uncontrollable. As soon as her body warmed, her cheeks would flush, making her appear cute.

Yet now her cheeks were bathed in the descending light of dawn, that layer of blush being glazed with an ethereal brilliance, making her cheeks look incredibly breathtaking.

Uesugi Sakura felt she seemed almost like a fairy at this moment, not like his wife at all.

"Sakura-kun."

Hanamaru Hanabi faced the light on her cheeks, turned slightly to give him a subtle smile.

"What?" Uesugi Sakura felt her shoulder had contracted a bit, becoming even more charming.

"Just now, the light reflecting off the water, Hanabi saw that dazed look of yours, Sakura-kun."

"The water’s surface?" Uesugi Sakura turned his head to look and then spoke to her lightly reflected back in the rippling water, "With so many ripples, how could you see clearly?"

"It’s not about seeing clearly; Sakura-kun’s gaping look doesn’t require much clarity to spot."

Hanamaru Hanabi’s right hand rested on her slightly raised left shoulder, her head tilted, the corner of her mouth smiling as she inquired:

"Sakura-kun, can’t wait?"

"A bit..."

Uesugi Sakura felt an urge to embrace her.

"No way."

Upon his approach, Hanamaru Hanabi immediately turned in front of him, holding a towel to her chest and cutely smiling said, "Not yet, besides, wasn’t coming to the onsen just to soak?"

"Coming to the onsen wasn’t for...?" Uesugi Sakura tried to get closer.

"I said, no."

Hanamaru Hanabi lifted her alabaster leg, placing the ball of her foot along with five charming, pink-colored toes on his chest, lightly holding the towel at her chest, "Sakura-kun should listen to Hanabi and, by the way, your heart is racing quite fast, Sakura-kun." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Her five soft, petite toes clenched slightly, pressing against his chest.

Uesugi Sakura felt like his heart was being tenderly stepped on, "Hanabi, you say, I’ll listen."

"Anything?" Hanamaru Hanabi chuckled gently.

"Anything." Uesugi Sakura knew she was just playing hard to get earlier, deliberately toying with him but didn’t mind anymore; nothing mattered.

"First," Hanamaru Hanabi puckered her lips, "Sakura-kun shouldn’t bully Hanabi."

"Alright, I definitely won’t bully little Hanabi."

"Second, Sakura-kun has to buy Hanabi delicious treats."

"Okay, I’ll buy you tasty treats every day."

"Third, Sakura-kun must listen to Hanabi."

"Okay, I’ll listen to little Hanabi."

Hanamaru Hanabi giggled and lowered her foot from his chest. She shifted back, sitting atop a stone higher than the hot spring:

"First, help Hanabi give her legs a little massage, alright, Sakura-kun?"

Hanamaru Hanabi sat with a side lean on the stone, legs evenly stretched forward, half submerged in the onsen water.

"Alright, no problem."

Just as Uesugi Sakura moved forward, she poked his face with a finger again.

"Sakura-kun, the massage should start from the bottom to the top, the thigh last."

From the bottom to the top?

Doesn’t that mean...?

"Phew~"

Uesugi Sakura let out a breath that appeared hazy, nah, just a foot massage.

What was the first step in foot massages again?

With both hands, hold the foot, then use both thumbs to press the area just above the arch.

Upon seeing her petite feet in front of him, Uesugi Sakura wrapped his hands around them, finding the acupuncture point as his memory served.

"Phew~"

Her feet being cherry pink aside, soft and tiny, how was he supposed to find points?

"Sakura-kun, quicker." On the opposite side, Hanamaru Hanabi wiggled her toes, making the surrounding onsen water move slightly.

"Phew~"

Uesugi Sakura took a deep breath, thinking to himself, it’s no big deal, just a proper foot massage.

...

Uesugi Sakura wasn’t sure how he made it through massaging those little feet, but soaking in the onsen, he felt overwhelmingly hot, even breaking out in a sweat.

...

Stepping outside and looking up at the sky, Uesugi Sakura felt almost weak from staying too long in the onsen.

Yet, at the same time, oddly energized.

He wasn’t sure what kind of mental state it was, but for now, it seemed alright.

"It’s nearly 11 o’clock; Sakura-kun is almost late for work." Hanamaru Hanabi glanced at her phone while in the driver’s seat, "I still need to return the car to Dad later."

"Hanabi, you’re coming with me to work, right?" Uesugi Sakura exclaimed feebly, "Going late doesn’t matter; Kobashira is covering for me."

"Why does Sakura-kun seem lifeless?" Hanamaru Hanabi asked with a smile beside him.

"Lifeless? Not really; it just feels this night and morning passed unusually slow, like two or three days."

"That’s because today was so enjoyable," Hanamaru Hanabi inserted the car key and gave it a twist.

The car engine started, humming into action.

"Off we go, back home!"

The pitch-black Toyota drove out of the parking lot, heading towards Tokyo.

Uesugi Sakura’s drooping eyelids watched the passing scenery through the window, feeling intensely drowsy amidst the vehicle’s gentle swaying:

"Hanabi-chan, let me nap for a bit, alright?"

"No worries, Hanabi is still full of energy." Hanamaru Hanabi held the steering wheel with both hands.

"Mm... mm, such vitality."

Uesugi Sakura reclined the seat back, laying diagonally, closed his eyes, and started to nap.