Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 822 - 488: Another Hanabi on the Verge of Fading Away

Chapter 822: Chapter 488: Another Hanabi on the Verge of Fading Away

The winter sunset, compared to summer, is much fainter, yet the sky remains a fiery red, painting the sky in a layer of vivid colors, with stretches of clouds silhouetted against the splendid skyline.

Hanamaru Hanabi walked beneath such a sunset, along the streets lined with green trees.

Her skirt gently swayed, her steps were even and carefree.

It seemed as if she was not stepping on stone pavements, but rather on lively steps of cuteness.

"Slow down a bit."

"No way!"

The two had just left Dr. Nakamura Keiko’s psychological clinic.

In a follow-up visit after quite some time, Dr. Nakamura had said that Ms. Hanamaru’s condition was already stable.

Now, it could basically be said that she had completely recovered on her own.

But Uesugi Sakura felt that Dr. Nakamura’s words were not accurate at all.

Isn’t Black Hanabi still there? How can it be considered cured?

"Sakura-kun, in the afternoon the people in the café were all speculating about the relationship between you and Hanabi." Hanamaru Hanabi walked to his side, slightly bent down, and said to him with a smile.

"Hmm? What did you tell them?"

Hanamaru Hanabi straightened up, hands behind her back: "Since they wanted to know, Hanabi just told them straight out. I said that Sakura-kun took Hanabi... ah, no, took Hanami to a love hotel together."

"Hanabi, saying things like that... everyone will misunderstand me..." Uesugi Sakura’s face was red with embarrassment.

"Oh? Hanabi thought Sakura-kun didn’t care about others’ opinions."

Uesugi Sakura responded, "I don’t, but if it gets around, it’ll be a bit troublesome to explain."

"But it’s fun, isn’t it?"

"Well... sort of." Uesugi Sakura replied somewhat stiffly, unwilling to spoil Black Hanabi’s mood.

Overall, it didn’t really cause much of a fuss.

It’s just that Towa and Todaka seemed to look at him a bit strangely.

When Uesugi Sakura snapped out of his thoughts, Hanamaru Hanabi had already resumed walking ahead.

The afternoon was very quiet, the wind swayed the branches along the street.

The girl walked quietly ahead.

Uesugi Sakura really liked walking behind her and watching her, but under the not-so-bright dusk, even though her silhouette was lively and graceful, he could still see the sense of solitude named loneliness on Hanabi’s petite back.

Perhaps it was because of Black Hanabi, today’s Hanabi did not give him the usual familiar feeling.

"Sakura-kun, do you know?" Hanamaru Hanabi stopped on a small stone bridge.

The bridge was flat, but standing by its side, one could clearly see the fiery red sunset from the river’s surface.

"Hmm?" Uesugi Sakura approached her.

In the sunset, the beautiful figure gradually occupying Uesugi Sakura’s entire line of sight.

Her expression... it seemed like she was no longer as happy as before.

"Sometimes Hanabi feels like she’s always alone. No matter how good Hanabi is, no matter how much she considers others, everyone always sees Hanabi as if she were invisible."

"Hanabi..." Uesugi Sakura watched her turn her head, paused for a moment, "Don’t think like that, I’m still by your side."

"Mm."

The girl nodded gently, turned back around, and continued gazing into the sky, "It’s also because in Sakura-kun, Hanabi can truly feel care and security, and he can always truly remember Hanabi... that’s why Hanabi is willing to love him forever."

Her voice was so light; it seemed as if it came from the mist of a dream. Uesugi Sakura couldn’t help but gaze at her beautiful back, subconsciously asking:

"What if I let Hanabi lose that feeling too?"

Hanamaru Hanabi stopped in front, her two little black shoes pressed together, leaving only a silhouette to Uesugi Sakura behind.

She looked at the ground and said, "Even if it’s gone, Hanabi will always stay by Sakura-kun’s side; it’s a promise made before."

The girl turned around, with rippling amethyst eyes, she looked at him.

"But if that time really comes, it won’t be because Hanabi stopped liking Sakura-kun, but because Sakura-kun stopped liking Hanabi."

"He would have forgotten everything from before, forgotten those youthful feelings and that heartbeat."

"Sakura-kun, you would no longer be the Sakura-kun that Hanabi knows."

She stood directly below the sunset glow.

Watching her like this, seeing her shadow stretched by the setting sun... Uesugi Sakura had a feeling, as if even if he were to walk away for a long time without looking back, he would still see her waiting for him when he turned around.

"Today’s Sakura-kun has given Hanabi a good feeling, so, goodwill plus 10. Now Sakura-kun is back at level 0, congratulations." Hanamaru Hanabi suddenly laughed, her small hands clapped gently in front of her.

The girl stood by the bridge, behind her was the flowing water and the wavering sunset on the water surface.

Small applause surrounded the ear, and silence enveloped the two, a light named memory drifted through Uesugi’s mind.

He watched Hanamaru Hanabi’s smile, recalling her tenderness when she let him lay his head on her lap a few days ago, thinking of the cute smile she showed him that afternoon.

Although she wasn’t the Hanabi he was most familiar with daily, nor the typically fragile girl.

But Uesugi Sakura truly felt that Black Hanabi was indeed Hanabi herself...

Even though their personalities differed, and their likes varied...

But their occasional sneaky solitude really felt the same.

She was like a girl staying in place, always striving to showcase her beautiful side to the outside, yet because her side was too kind, too gentle, she was often left neglected in the corner like a toy that’s been played out.