Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 849 - 501: Snow Day Snowman (Part 2)

"Not at all~" Hanamaru Hanabi laughed softly, leaning closer to his ear, her voice seemed as if she was biting his earlobe while blowing warm air into his ear, "And now, only Sakura knows, okay."

"...But you’re wearing a short skirt." Uesugi Sakura couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the spot from earlier.

"It’s fine, after all, only Sakura can see." Hanamaru Hanabi noticed his gaze and deliberately stood up, the over-knee black stockings perfectly outlined her beautiful leg shape.

Uesugi Sakura got the hint, of course, he wouldn’t get up, he glanced upward... indeed, as she told him...

Uesugi Sakura lowered his head and coughed twice, then looked up at her again: "Cough cough, don’t you feel cold wearing a skirt outside?"

"It’s okay, actually it’s a bit warm." Hanamaru Hanabi smiled and lifted her skirt in front of him, shaking off the bits of snow accidentally sticking to it from above.

Uesugi Sakura’s eyes didn’t move.

"But Sakura is a bit naughty." Hanamaru Hanabi shook off the snowflakes, the gentle fluttering skirt slowly settled down, covering the absolute territory above the black silk legs again.

"I’m naughty?"

"Yes, obviously you want to see, but still deliberately changing the subject." Hanamaru Hanabi smiled, her cute and exquisite face was impossible to dislike.

Uesugi Sakura coughed twice again to cover his embarrassment: "I was doing it for your sake, afraid you might catch a cold."

"If you want to look, then look! Don’t be dishonest."

How should I put it, Uesugi Sakura found that in some ways, Hanabi really wanted to show herself to him, making some moves that little Hanabi usually couldn’t and wouldn’t make.

Sigh... who knows what Hanabi really thinks deep inside.

Uesugi Sakura stood up, supporting his knees, he was genuinely a bit worried: "Beware of the wind, don’t let anyone else see."

"Don’t worry, Hanabi knows the limits, after all, it’s a place only Sakura can see."

"..." Uesugi Sakura was speechless.

Perhaps this is part of her possessiveness?

Hanamaru Hanabi smiled at him with her hands behind her back: "Let’s stop talking about this, Sakura doesn’t want to build a snowman with Hanabi? Aei and the others are almost finished."

"You’re not mad anymore?"

Hanamaru Hanabi kept smiling, then slowly stated: "It’s because I’m mad that I’m having Sakura build one with Hanabi."

"Build what?" Uesugi Sakura replied immediately.

Seeing him so energetic, Hanamaru Hanabi poked her right cheek with her index finger, smiling: "Hanabi wants a life-sized Sakura."

...

Building a snowman generally can be divided into three steps.

First, roll the snowball.

Second, move the snowball.

Third, place the snowball.

But the wife wants a life-sized snowman that also resembles himself; this is genuinely a tough task.

Uesugi Sakura looked at the snowman in front of him, which only has a head like a ball, and was bewildered.

Hanamaru Hanabi, behind him, covered her mouth, bending over with laughter: "Sakura has no artistic cell at all."

"At least my human figure sketch is passable." Uesugi Sakura retorted to the back, tilting his head to look at the snowman’s tilted head.

After looking into its hollow eyes for a while, the tilted head slumped to the ground.

"..."

Hanamaru Hanabi covered her cheeks with both hands, laughing: "Sakura indeed has no artistic cell."

Uesugi Sakura also laughed while looking at the disheartened snowman head at his feet, "Maybe Picasso would take me as a student."

"Picasso’s sculpture ’Woman’s Head’ can sell for 30 million dollars, you know."

"Money can’t represent the value of a work." Uesugi Sakura patted his hands, dusting off the snowflakes above, "If Picasso were alive, even if he casually drew a line, it could be worth a few million dollars."

Uesugi Sakura spread his arms to the decapitated snowman, "If I were Picasso, Hanabi, do you believe it, it would now be worth five million dollars."

"Anyway, Picasso isn’t here, it doesn’t matter what Sakura says."

Hanamaru Hanabi seemed to find it too hilarious, she walked over to Uesugi Sakura.

Uesugi Sakura: "What? To buy it for five million? If it’s Hanabi, no need for dollars, yen would do."

"Stop it!" Hanamaru Hanabi held a small twig to his chest, "Sakura can’t build snowmen, Hanabi will help him build it, it’s just a snowman, easy enough!"

Uesugi Sakura remembered that she hadn’t learned sculpture, so he chose to stand aside, eagerly anticipating her masterpiece.

Watching her movements, he recalled Hanabi as a little girl, who also loved building snowmen on snowy days.

He remembered he was 7 years old, on a day when the sky was filled with goose-feather-like snow, and the entire Tokyo was covered by a colorless, transparent sky, with snow piling up wherever it could land.

It was cold that day, so he stayed indoors, choosing to read books instead of going out.

After sitting for hours, when his mother called him downstairs for dinner, he got up.

Since the desk was right next to the window, his gaze instantly fell on the Hanamaru house next door.

He stopped in his tracks because inside the small transparent window on the opposite side was a round, small snowman.

That little snowman, wearing a red scarf, waved and smiled at him.

Amidst the swirling white snowflakes.

At that time, Uesugi Sakura paused for quite a while, noticing besides the waving snowman, below the windowsill was a clumsy, less concealed little head.

How he felt at that time, Uesugi Sakura couldn’t quite remember, but the image of that little snowman could be remembered till now, indicating this scene left a deep impression in his heart.

...

Recalling these past events.

As childhood friends, Uesugi Sakura now watching her carefully sculpting a snowman in front of him, felt a warmth that words couldn’t describe swelling inside.

"All done!" Hanamaru Hanabi held a branch covered in snowflakes, and the snowman before her was already a well-defined half-body sculpture.

"So fast?"

Uesugi Sakura peeked over and discovered that the snowman’s head resembled his own, with a lazy pig sleeping on top. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

He immediately laughed: "Is this Hana-chan herself?"

Hanamaru Hanabi was visibly stunned for a moment, then puffed up her cheeks, saying: "This is a symbol of Sakura-kun!"

"Why is the symbol a pig?"

"Because Sakura-kun just said Hanabi is a pig!"

"Pigs are pretty cute, though."

"But they’re dumb!"

"Cute and dumb, doesn’t that suit little Hanabi’s image?"

Uesugi Sakura thought little Hanabi might get angry enough to hit him with that branch, he even prepared to escape.

But unexpectedly, the girl just took out her phone and snapped a picture of the Uesugi Sakura snowman, quickly uploaded it to Twitter, and added a word with an exclamation mark above his photo: [Pig!]

Pressed to send.

Hanamaru Hanabi put down her phone, with a rather content face: "All done!"

Uesugi Sakura laughed and shook his head.

Their updates were posted one after the other.

Hanabi’s was after his.

In the same snowy day, with the same caption.

Even though it’s [Pig] and [Pig!]

It’s hard not to associate the two of them showing affection in their friend’s circle.

Hanamaru Hanabi noticed him looking over, proudly puffing her cheeks and turning her head away, letting out a faint hum from her throat.

In the snow on Hakodate Mountain, the girl in the white scarf pretended to dislike him on her delicate rosy face. Clearly, she stood several body lengths away on the snow, yet Uesugi Sakura could still see her through the sky filled with falling snow, hoping he would respond.

She always smiled at him.

Sweetly smiled.

Just like when she pretended to be angry for a while, but couldn’t help turning her head to ask why he wasn’t speaking.

Uesugi Sakura understood in his heart, she was still that shy little girl who built the small snowman for him outside his window.

Suddenly recalling something, Uesugi Sakura’s pupils dimmed as if trapped in memory.

Back then, on the mitten of the snowman facing him, was a small piece of paper, with a line of elegant yet cute handwriting:

Good afternoon, Brother.