Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 781 - 466: Strange, Too Strange_2

"Professor Ebitani doesn’t care about these things. When he sees your painting, he’ll probably wonder if you’re really a student at Tokyo Art University." Kitagawa Sakisa was already imagining the scene of him being scolded by the professor, "By the way, what’s your real reason for coming here to study?"

"Huh? Of course, it’s to find Hanabi." Uesugi Sakura glanced at Hanamaru Hanabi standing next to her.

"...So, you had Rika transfer from Tokyo University to Art College?"

"That’s right."

"Weird, so very weird, I’ve never seen a man so clingy even after getting married." Kitagawa Sakisa looked again at Kyujuu Rika and asked her, "This strange thing, and you help him with it?"

"He asked me for a favor, so I helped him."

Hanamaru Hanabi overheard the conversation and only then realized something, her gaze shifted to Uesugi Sakura’s face: "So... that day you were on the phone with Rika."

Kyujuu Rika spread her hands: "He suddenly had this request, asked me if I could help, thinking about it, it is quite strange."

Uesugi Sakura smiled and tried to smooth things over: "Not strange, not strange, just a whim."

The group walked together downstairs, heading towards the school gate.

The sky was clear and blue, high clouds and broad, with sunlight filtering down through the green leaves, staining the ground beneath the trees with shade.

It was November, a rare day with such good weather.

Uesugi Sakura carried her shoulder bag, standing under the tree, looking up at the sky through the gaps in the leaves.

Hanamaru Hanabi and Kyujuu Rika suddenly felt thirsty and went back to buy some drinks at the vending machine under the teaching building, leaving only Uesugi Sakura and Kitagawa Sakisa standing under this old tree waiting.

After standing for a while, Kitagawa Sakisa was a bit bored and asked Uesugi Sakura beside her: "Uesugi, did you really come here to pursue Hanabi?"

"Yes."

"Is it necessary? To chase from Tokyo University to Art College."

"That’s called deep love, no one loves Hanabi more than I do."

"Deep love? I don’t understand, if, you and Hanabi had to leave one from this world, who would you choose?"

"Of course, it would be me." Uesugi Sakura answered without hesitation.

Kitagawa Sakisa smiled triumphantly: "Then, Uesugi, have you ever thought, would Hanabi really be happy without you? Two people who deeply love each other being separated, the one staying behind would usually be the more miserable one."

The sunlight slightly shifted, and only a little of it fell on Uesugi Sakura’s face.

"Time will fade everything. Maybe Hanabi will forget me and start her life anew."

"You make it sound easy, can you do it yourself?"

Uesugi Sakura was stumped by the question and remained silent for a long time: "I can’t... after so many years... everything I am is tied to her."

"Ew~ that’s so mushy."

"You don’t date, so you wouldn’t understand." Uesugi Sakura glanced at her.

"I don’t get what’s so good about dating, all I see are people going to extremes when they break up."

Uesugi Sakura said: "That’s because you haven’t seen the good side. Dating is also about trying, trying to find someone suitable for oneself."

"Have you thought about what if you don’t find someone? Not everyone can have a girl like Hanabi."

"Most people don’t find that, so they just make do with each other, and as time goes by, emotions grow and they can’t do without each other. There are too many unsatisfactory things in life... Now, being able to marry Hanabi, I’m actually very satisfied."

This sentence made Kitagawa Sakisa fall into deep thought, she turned back, standing in the shade, looking at the patterned shadows on the ground her by the wind:

"Uesugi, I still remember the way Hanabi was crying in your arms on the wedding day, even though she was crying, I could really feel that she had found happiness... You’re right, dating isn’t just about failure, there’s also a beautiful side."

"What, do you want to date too?" Uesugi Sakura said with a laugh.

"Me?" Kitagawa Sakisa immediately returned to form, crossing her arms and turning away, "No man is worthy of me, with at least half of the Kitagawa family’s assets under my name. If it weren’t for you and Hanabi buying a house earlier, I could even gift you a place in the Minato district."

Uesugi Sakura’s house was a bit less than 200 million yen, and Kitagawa saying she could just give it away showed her wealth.

"It’s just..." the face she had turned away suddenly turned back.

"Just what?"

"Don’t ask!"

Just as Kyujuu Rika and Hanamaru Hanabi returned from the teaching building, each holding two bottles of drinks in their hands.

"Sakura-kun... this is yours." Hanamaru Hanabi handed a can of coffee to Uesugi Sakura.

Uesugi Sakura took it with a smile and said to her: "Whenever it feels like Hanabi always thinks of me and carefully chooses what I like to drink, affection level +50."

Hanamaru Hanabi held the green tea with both hands, tilted her face slightly, and blinked at him, "Sakura-kun still has a -1 with Hanabi."

Kitagawa Sakisa held the orange juice that Kyujuu Rika bought for her and, hearing their conversation, curiously looked at the two: "What’s this affection level?"

Uesugi Sakura: "Don’t ask."

Kitagawa Sakisa directly turned her head away, "Hmph, fine, don’t say it then."

The four were just about to reach the school gate when a car that looked very expensive came to pick up Kyujuu Rika to go home.

From the car came a butler wearing white gloves, addressing Kyujuu Rika as Miss.

Kitagawa Sakisa was also going back with her, and before getting on the car, she said to Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi: "Why not, come along to Rika’s house for a swim?"

Kyujuu Rika nodded along.

Uesugi Sakura remembered that the Kyujuu Family had an outdoor hot spring: "In this weather, won’t it be cold?"

"The pool is heated!"

Uesugi Sakura turned to look at Hanabi and found that she also nodded.

"Then let’s go, there’s nothing else to do this afternoon anyway."

The group got into the luxury car of the Kyujuu family together.

Kyujuu Rika sat in the front passenger seat, while the three of them squeezed into the back.

Kitagawa Sakisa loved sitting with Hanabi, saying her body was soft and smelled nice.

She rested her head on Hanamaru Hanabi’s shoulder, speaking to Uesugi Sakura sitting on the other side:

"Being able to marry a wife like Hanabi, you really have a blessing."

"Hmm," Uesugi Sakura didn’t deny it at all, "I think so too."

While Uesugi Sakura was looking at the continuous scenery flashing by outside the car window, Kitagawa Sakisa whispered into Hanamaru Hanabi’s ear:

"Did you guys have a fight today?"

Hanamaru Hanabi looked at her and shook her head.

"Then why did Uesugi come to school to find you today, and signed up for the same courses as us, if not to apologize, then what for?" Kitagawa Sakisa whispered.

Hanamaru Hanabi still shook her head, then replied in an even smaller voice: "Actually, even Hanabi isn’t really sure why Sakura-kun came to our school."

Kitagawa Sakisa: "Then what’s this affection level about?"

Faced with this question, Hanamaru Hanabi didn’t reply and instead continued shaking her head.

"Feels like you two are especially mysterious today! Both have little secrets, right?"

"Really can’t say... if I say... Hanabi will lose."

Upon hearing these words, Kitagawa Sakisa had a guess in her mind: "So that means... you and Uesugi have some kind of agreement? And there’s winning and losing involved?"

Hanamaru Hanabi nodded.

"But it’s not exactly like that."

"What the heck, you’re not explaining clearly, I totally don’t get it, I wanted to help you, Hanabi."

"It’s okay, right now Sakura-kun is at a disadvantage."

"Disadvantage?" Kitagawa Sakisa’s curiosity rose, "Why is he at a disadvantage?"

"Because Hanabi taught him to paint today and bought him a drink in the afternoon."

"Teach him to paint, and buy him a drink?"

Kitagawa Sakisa thought for a long moment and finally reached a conclusion, "That means today, Hanabi treated him better than he did to her, you guys... are playing a game of who treats each other better, right?"

"Hmm... Sort of."

"Weird, really weird, even though you’re already a married couple, why play such an odd game." Kitagawa Sakisa was utterly puzzled.