Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 823 - 488: Another Hanabi on the Verge of Disappearing and Melting_2

Chapter 823: Chapter 488: Another Hanabi on the Verge of Disappearing and Melting_2

Uesugi Sakura still remembered a saying.

[Once people obtain something, they forget the feeling of standing on tiptoe, peering through the window at it.]

The dark Hanabi...or rather, Hanabi herself...deep down, she didn’t want to become the toy that, after being acquired, ends up forgotten in the corner.

"Why are you quiet, Sakura-kun?"

"Tomorrow... it’s Labor Day, right? With Saturday and Sunday, there will be a three-day holiday."

"That’s right."

"Mother and the others also have free time... Would you like to go out and relax again?"

"Sakura-kun," Hanamaru Hanabi smiled playfully at him, "Do you remember what happened last time we traveled together?"

Uesugi Sakura nodded: "I know... this time it definitely won’t happen."

It was that brain tumor incident...

He still remembered waking up to find Hanabi asleep at the bedside.

The girl’s tears had reddened her eyes, showing fatigue and exhaustion in her face and spirit.

Her small hand, clinging to his blanket even in her sleep, was enough to demonstrate her care.

"Do you know, Sakura-kun? In romance novels, every trip represents growth, as it’s a great opportunity for the male and female protagonists to develop their relationship. Therefore, trips are always meticulously arranged by the author, carrying with them goals that must be fulfilled to some degree."

"Hmm."

"So, wanting Hanabi to travel with you is no problem, but... Hanabi has a goal in mind, and there’s a penalty if the goal is not achieved. Sakura-kun, can you accept it?"

"I can." Uesugi Sakura agreed without hesitation.

Hanamaru Hanabi laughed: "Once you accept, you can’t refuse. Do you still agree, Sakura-kun?"

"I agree." Then, Uesugi Sakura asked her silhouette against the sunset, "What is the goal?"

"Haha, it’s actually nothing major."

Hanamaru Hanabi’s tone shifted, and her delicate face settled into a calm expression, "If Sakura-kun can’t increase the favorability to 50 points during this time, then Hanabi... will disappear forever from Sakura-kun’s sight."

Almost instantly, Uesugi Sakura’s heart clenched tightly. He looked into her serious eyes, which suddenly widened, and words stuck in his throat, his lips trembling as he called out her name:

"Hanabi...?"

...

...

The next day, at 4 a.m.

Uesugi Sakura lay on the sofa, staring quietly at the ceiling.

So it wasn’t Hanabi who would disappear forever... it was the dark Hanabi who uttered those words in her role.

Life was gradually resuming its calm routine.

Gone were the rivals in love, and the hated Uesugi from the dream who was stabbed to death.

Just as Dr. Nakamura said, Hanabi’s condition was improving.

And correspondingly, there was less need for dark Hanabi... As the embodiment of Hanabi’s deeply buried thoughts, she was beginning to fade away.

Now, the only thing sustaining her existence was the hint of loneliness in Hanabi’s heart.

If even that were gone, she would disappear completely.

Dark Hanabi was on the verge of disappearing...

...

Uesugi Sakura pondered for a long time before realizing what the request to raise the favorability to 50 really meant.

After marriage, each day Hanabi was improving, gaining happiness in life and marriage, and becoming a little more confident, finding her own beauty.

The negative emotions inside her were dissipating, and with that foundation gone, so was dark Hanabi.

That goal of 50 favorability was a choice given to Uesugi Sakura.

She was giving herself a reason, a reason to keep existing.

If Uesugi cared for her, she would continue to exist.

If Uesugi didn’t care, she would quietly disappear forever, truly reverting to Hanamaru Hanabi.

Little Hanabi was the source of everything for dark Hanabi. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

It was because little Hanabi’s feelings of inferiority, sadness, and various emotions couldn’t be expressed that her existence was necessary.

...

Thinking about this, Uesugi Sakura couldn’t fall asleep.

He glanced at the air conditioner swinging in the living room, grabbed a jacket to drape over his shoulders, and pushed open the balcony door to get some fresh air.

In the distance, Tokyo Tower still shone brightly, and the city with its vibrant neon lights turned the night sky a shade of red.

Uesugi Sakura gazed into the distance, letting the cold wind refresh his face, using it to dispel his worries.

"Sakura-kun, aren’t you going to sleep?"

A pleasant voice sounded by his ear.

Uesugi Sakura turned towards the right at the sound, and saw Hanamaru Hanabi in a shark pajama, her head covered with a hood.

Through her eyes and gaze.

Sakura realized it was little Hanabi, not the dark Hanabi.

"Knowing such precarious things... makes it difficult to fall asleep."

"Sakura-kun, don’t overthink... she... probably doesn’t dislike you either, Sakura-kun."

"But... she’s leaving."

"The other me... doesn’t necessarily have to leave," Hanamaru Hanabi smiled, her violet eyes reflecting the fireworks-like night between the high-rise buildings, "If Sakura-kun makes an effort, the other me won’t leave, right? Hanabi thinks Sakura-kun is being overly pessimistic."

Uesugi Sakura watched her.

He now felt so strange, so strange inside.

Clearly, he liked the ordinary, normal little Hanabi, but when the dark Hanabi was really about to disappear, there was an inexplicable reluctance in his heart.

About her, Uesugi Sakura could also recall her blocking him at school with breakfast, smiling and insisting he must eat well.

She would compel him to fall more in love with her, with her body, with her legs clad in black stockings.

Dark Hanabi’s love for him was also really intense, secretly taking his clothes to smell them, watching him shower secretly and then... getting excited.

Though peculiar, Uesugi Sakura could indeed remember this intensely strong and prominent affection that belonged to Hanamaru Hanabi as a whole.

"Sakura-kun?" Hanamaru Hanabi, seeing him lost in memories, pinched his shoulder gently, using a soft voice to call him back.

Uesugi Sakura broke free from the mire of memories, looking at the little Hanabi in front of him. He organized his words slightly before saying to her: "All along, I haven’t really understood what little Hanabi thinks about the other you."

"Hanabi... about the other self’s thoughts..."

Hanamaru Hanabi raised her eyes to look at him, "Actually, Sakura-kun knows, doesn’t he? Both Hanabi and the other self are Hanamaru Hanabi."

"Yes, I know."

"Memories impact personality... Our situation is a bit odd; we know each other, have each other’s memories, and understand each other’s feelings. She’s another version of Hanabi in life with different perceptions... She’s truly Hanabi’s other self... So Hanabi usually calls her ’sister.’

Uesugi Sakura asked puzzledly: "Do you call each other sisters?"

"Hanabi... knows it’s a bit strange, very strange, but it’s awkward to keep calling her the other self."

The shark hat blew off, and Hanamaru Hanabi put it back on her head while tidying the hair by her ears.

"Sakura-kun really shouldn’t overthink... Hanabi knows her sister’s thoughts. Although Hanabi can’t cheat on the favorability... she can still tell Sakura-kun what her sister likes more than Hanabi does."

"It sounds... like you’re not the same person."

"It’s the same person... but... Hanabi’s thought process at that time is different, so even with the same memories, she’d make different choices, and that’s what her ’sister’ signifies."

Hanamaru Hanabi was a little anxious.

"How, how to explain... It’s like Hanabi likes Sakura-kun so much but can’t express it well, so she can only use another thought process to express it to Sakura-kun..."

The statement was a bit muddled.

According to Uesugi Sakura’s understanding, it’s as if for her own affection, little Hanabi could split herself into two different personalities and styles to satisfy his preferences?

Though vague and incomplete, it did seem to make some sense.